Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar on Friday revealed that talks to bring him back to the party fold had started almost five to six months ago, but got fructified within a month after B Y Vijayendra was appointed as the state BJP president.
Shettar on Thursday returned to the BJP after quitting the Congress, which he had joined nine months ago.
Speaking at the state party headquarters here, Shettar told reporters that whenever he went out for the Congress party’s work in the state, he used to be mobbed by the BJP local leaders appealing him to rejoin the party.
“But without the efforts of our party veterans B S Yediyurappa and Vijayendra, it would not have been possible for me to come back so early. I held discussions with J P Nadda (party’s national president) and Amit Shah (union home minister) and they have certainly assured me of a ‘suitable post’ in the days to come,” he said.
He said that his family’s association with the BJP dates back to five decades and the party was clearly his home.
“We have toiled here to build the party. Even when temple movement began, I was leading from the front to raise the funds and organise Rath Yatra. When (Lal Krishna) Advani entered, in my leadership, we collected Rs 2 crore in Hubballi. Now, that Rama temple is built, I wanted to be here,” Shettar added.
Published 26 January 2024, 23:38 IST