‘Ghar wapasi’ speculations rife as two Karnataka BJP MLAs skip meet | Bengaluru News – Times of India
BENGALURU: At a key meeting held in former chief minister and BJP patron B S Yediyurappa’s home in Bengaluru, two turncoats who jumped to BJP and became ministers, and are now rumored to be coming back to the ruling party, skipped the meeting on account of ‘personal’ reasons.
Strengthening speculations of ‘ghar wapasi’, former ministers in the BJP government S T Somashekar and Byarathi Basavaraju skipped the meeting of city MLAs, MLCs and MPs at Yediyurappa’s home.
The meeting was called to discuss the next course of action against the ruling party’s alleged maladministration.
However, both former CMs Yeddiyurappa and Bommai dismissed the party legislators jumping ship back to Congress.
“None from our party is planning to quit the BJP. There may be one or two MLAs who are considering it for various reasons but I am confident that none will leave the party,” said Yediyurappa.
In fact, Bommai dismissed the speculations of the last three days and said he has personally spoken to all the turncoats who joined the BJP in 2019 and won again in 2023 to assure them of BJP support.
“I have spoken to each one of the MLAs, personally, and they have assured me they are not leaving the party. I have spoken to Somashekar, Basavaraju, K Gopalaiah, Shivaram Hebbar and N Munirathna as well. It is only an attempt of the Congress to shift the attention from their own MLAs rebelling against the party,” claimed Bommai.
According to party sources, while Byarathi Basavaraju had gone overseas and had reached Hyderabad for the BJP Telangana meeting, S T Somashekar did not want to attend the meeting due to personal reasons.
Bommai, however, admitted that there may be “local issues” with the turncoats who won the elections on BJP ticket which has been brought to the notice of the party state president Nalin Kumar Kateel.
Earlier in the day, agriculture minister N Cheluvarayaswamy said some 15 BJP and JD(S) MLAs and former MLAs will join the Congress. Speaking to reporters, he said the AICC and KPCC are seized of the matter.
“Currently, I cannot disclose the names of the netas who will join Congress,” he said.
However, KPCC president D K Shivakumar said he has only asked his party workers to increase the Congress vote share in the upcoming elections, for which a lot of workers from other parties are joining them at the local level.
“With regard to other leaders, no such developments have come to my level,” said Shivakumar.
On 13-14 JD(S) MLAs supposedly in touch with him, Shivakumar dismissed the question and said it is the first time he is hearing such information.
“I have no idea what you (media) are talking about? I have political and personal contacts with all 223 MLAs in the state. We keep in touch,” he said.
Shivakumar added that there are a lot of local
In Belagavi, home minister G Parameshwar, replying to the rumours about some BJP MLAs and leaders joining BJP, said “I heard that, some of the BJP leaders including MLAs are willing to join Congress. They haven’t contacted me but our KPCC president. We will welcome all those who join the party believing in our ideology and leadership”.
He was speaking to the media persons at Sambra Airport here on Thursday, on his way to Hubballi.
He dismissed the allegations of BJP leaders who allegedly are spreading false rumours about the instability of the government.
“However, that is not true. The government is intact and that’s why BJP leaders are willing to join Congress,” he said.
However, former water resources minister Govind Karjol said none are going to go to Congress
“I firmly believe that nobody from BJP will join Congress leaving the BJP. Why will they leave BJP, when all development works have been stopped by the Congress government in the state?”, questioned Karjol.
Karjol said the rumours were false and just a media creation.
“There is no name or clarity about who is joining Congress from BJP”, he said.
BJP protest against corrupt Congress govt on Aug 23: BSY
Former CM B S Yediyurappa has said the state BJP unit will be launching a protest in Bengaluru against the corrupt Congress government on August 23.
The BJP claims the protest against the government is to create awareness amid the people of the maladministration and the government’s ad-hoc decisions in changing the ward limits in Bengaluru ahead of the BBMP polls. Yediyurappa said as many as 5,000 to 6,000 party leaders and workers will be joining the protest in the city.
The BJP meeting lasted for two hours to discuss the model of protest and also the need to ensure exodus does not occur ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Strengthening speculations of ‘ghar wapasi’, former ministers in the BJP government S T Somashekar and Byarathi Basavaraju skipped the meeting of city MLAs, MLCs and MPs at Yediyurappa’s home.
The meeting was called to discuss the next course of action against the ruling party’s alleged maladministration.
However, both former CMs Yeddiyurappa and Bommai dismissed the party legislators jumping ship back to Congress.
“None from our party is planning to quit the BJP. There may be one or two MLAs who are considering it for various reasons but I am confident that none will leave the party,” said Yediyurappa.
In fact, Bommai dismissed the speculations of the last three days and said he has personally spoken to all the turncoats who joined the BJP in 2019 and won again in 2023 to assure them of BJP support.
“I have spoken to each one of the MLAs, personally, and they have assured me they are not leaving the party. I have spoken to Somashekar, Basavaraju, K Gopalaiah, Shivaram Hebbar and N Munirathna as well. It is only an attempt of the Congress to shift the attention from their own MLAs rebelling against the party,” claimed Bommai.
According to party sources, while Byarathi Basavaraju had gone overseas and had reached Hyderabad for the BJP Telangana meeting, S T Somashekar did not want to attend the meeting due to personal reasons.
Bommai, however, admitted that there may be “local issues” with the turncoats who won the elections on BJP ticket which has been brought to the notice of the party state president Nalin Kumar Kateel.
Earlier in the day, agriculture minister N Cheluvarayaswamy said some 15 BJP and JD(S) MLAs and former MLAs will join the Congress. Speaking to reporters, he said the AICC and KPCC are seized of the matter.
“Currently, I cannot disclose the names of the netas who will join Congress,” he said.
However, KPCC president D K Shivakumar said he has only asked his party workers to increase the Congress vote share in the upcoming elections, for which a lot of workers from other parties are joining them at the local level.
“With regard to other leaders, no such developments have come to my level,” said Shivakumar.
On 13-14 JD(S) MLAs supposedly in touch with him, Shivakumar dismissed the question and said it is the first time he is hearing such information.
“I have no idea what you (media) are talking about? I have political and personal contacts with all 223 MLAs in the state. We keep in touch,” he said.
Shivakumar added that there are a lot of local
In Belagavi, home minister G Parameshwar, replying to the rumours about some BJP MLAs and leaders joining BJP, said “I heard that, some of the BJP leaders including MLAs are willing to join Congress. They haven’t contacted me but our KPCC president. We will welcome all those who join the party believing in our ideology and leadership”.
He was speaking to the media persons at Sambra Airport here on Thursday, on his way to Hubballi.
He dismissed the allegations of BJP leaders who allegedly are spreading false rumours about the instability of the government.
“However, that is not true. The government is intact and that’s why BJP leaders are willing to join Congress,” he said.
However, former water resources minister Govind Karjol said none are going to go to Congress
“I firmly believe that nobody from BJP will join Congress leaving the BJP. Why will they leave BJP, when all development works have been stopped by the Congress government in the state?”, questioned Karjol.
Karjol said the rumours were false and just a media creation.
“There is no name or clarity about who is joining Congress from BJP”, he said.
BJP protest against corrupt Congress govt on Aug 23: BSY
Former CM B S Yediyurappa has said the state BJP unit will be launching a protest in Bengaluru against the corrupt Congress government on August 23.
The BJP claims the protest against the government is to create awareness amid the people of the maladministration and the government’s ad-hoc decisions in changing the ward limits in Bengaluru ahead of the BBMP polls. Yediyurappa said as many as 5,000 to 6,000 party leaders and workers will be joining the protest in the city.
The BJP meeting lasted for two hours to discuss the model of protest and also the need to ensure exodus does not occur ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
