Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar
Credit: Facebook/Sunil Kumar Karkala
Bengaluru/Vijayapura: Amid escalating factionalism in the Karnataka BJP where each group has been publicly slamming the other, party's state general secretary and Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar has asked the leadership to relieve him from organisational responsibilities.
According to sources close to the Karkala MLA, he has asked the party to relieve him from his duties on the grounds of "family problems".
However, Kumar's decision has led to speculation that he acted so due to differences with party state president B Y Vijayendra.
Kumar, a prominent OBC face in the saffron party, served as the energy minister in the Basavaraj Bommai Cabinet and has an RSS background.
After Vijayendra's elevation as the state president in November 2023, Kumar, former MLAs Preetham Gowda, P Rajeev and others were appointed as state general secretaries.
'Sycophants spoiling BYV'
Earlier in the day, senior BJP leader and Vijayendra’s vocal critic Basanagouda Patil Yatnal used the development to launch a fresh assault on the former.
"There's news that Sunil Kumar has resigned as the state general secretary. Why is it so?? There's a gang of sycophants that is spoiling Vijayendra. Understanding this, let him (Vijayendra) also resign the way Sunil Kumar has resigned."
Stepping up his attack on Vijayendra, Yatnal said no "obedient" BJP worker across the state will accept him.
"We cannot accept him. Since he (Vijayendra) signed instead of his father (Yediyurappa), the father went to jail. We cannot accept him, the high command should take this seriously.”
BYV camp hits back
Even as Vijayendra did not publicly respond to Yatnal’s demand seeking his resignation, former minister M P Renukacharya lashed out at Yatnal.
"Yatnal has used the Panchamasali Lingayat card, Hindutva and the fact that he hails from North Karnataka for personal gains. All these three masks have now been revealed. I challenge him to reveal the names of central leaders who he claims are supporting him."