Vijayendra failed to take dissident groups into confidence: Ex-Karnataka CM Sadananda Gowda

Bengaluru: Senior BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda on Saturday said state president B Y Vijayendra had failed to take the dissident groups into confidence.

He also insisted upon a "transparent" election process to appoint the next president of the state who would replace the "ad hoc" president.

In the wake of growing dissidence, Gowda stressed a need for an overhaul in the saffron party.

"We must speak our heart out irrespective of whether people like it or not. The party should benefit from it," the former union minister said in a press conference.

Changing the core committee members is not a solution because that will not ensure the membership of good people, Gowda opined.

"What I feel is that the state president was appointed on an ad hoc basis. Official president will be appointed through the ongoing election process," he said.

"While discharging his duties, the state president has failed to take the dissident groups into confidence. Our failures are fodder for the media today," Gowda noted.

To a question, he said his focus was not on who should be the state president or district level president.

"Only a transparent election of the president will give strength to the party," the former union minister said.

According to him, groupism has spread its tentacles at the grassroot level, which should be treated first and other things come next.

Gowda's statement dealt yet another blow to Vijayendra who is already under attack by the Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and his faction comprising Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, former MLA Kumar Bangarappa and several others.

Patil is up in arms against Vijayendra and his father and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. He has alleged that the father-son duo are corrupt and are into 'adjustment politics' with the ruling Congress.

By using the term 'adjustment politics', Patil means that there is a secret pact between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah led Congress government and the BJP state level leadership to cover up corruption cases against each other.

Also, former minister B Sriramulu threatened to quit the party owing to the allegation made in the core committee recently.

According to Sriramulu, he was told that he did little during the Sandur assembly bye-election leading to the party’s defeat at the hands of Congress candidate E Annapurna.

The party is also losing its grip in Ballari, which has been its stranglehold for more than two decades, BJP sources said.