Dismissing the possibility of clashes between Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and Rural Development Minister K.S. Eshwarappa adversely impacting the imminent by-elections in the State, BJP State unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel said that all was well in the party after he had talked to everyone who expressed a difference of opinion.
“BJP has a good internal democracy as well as the grievance redressal system. Its leaders, right from local unit to national president, are democratically elected. If differences of opinion crop up, we have a system for addressing and resolving them. Congress neither has internal democracy nor does it have a conflict resolution system. Just smoke is found in our party, but Congress is already burning [with internal conflicts]. Siddaramaiah says that he would be the next Chief Minister and D.K. Shivakumar says he would be the next Chief Minister,” Mr. Kateel said. He also made it clear that there would be no need to form a coordination committee to avoid public expression of dissent.
Mr. Kateel was addressing mediapersons in Kalaburagi on Saturday. He, along with Housing Minister V. Somanna and BJP SC Morcha State president Chaluvadi Narayanswamy, arrived on a special flight from Mangaluru to take part in the Basavakalyan by-election campaign. He was received by BJP SC Morcha State vice-president Ambaraya Ashtagi at Kalaburagi airport.
To a question on the CD scandal involving former Minister and BJP leader Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mr. Kateel said that his government had formed a SIT [Special Investigation Team] to probe the case and he would not comment as the probe was underway.
“We have complete faith in SIT. Once the investigation is completed, the action would be taken as per the law,” he said.
On the revolt being posed by BJP functionaries after they were denied the party ticket to contest the Basavakalyan by-lection, Mr. Kateel said, “Just wait for two more days and see. Chanakya Somanna is the party in-charge for Basavakalyan by-election and he would come to Bengaluru after the victory of the BJP candidate”.
