BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Tuesday conveyed to the Karnataka unit to expect tough against the party MLAs who cross-voted in favour of the Congress in the June 18 legislative council elections, exposing the disunity in the party’s state unit.
Nabin spoke to BJP state president BY Vijayendra and Opposition leader R Ashoka, who submitted a preliminary report to him on the development. About 6-7 MLAs are said to have cross-voted, defying the party whip that led to a exasperated win for the party candidate and fewer votes for the JDS (NDA) candidate.
The BJP president, while calling for a detailed report from the state unit, also informed them that he has gathered some preliminary information from his own sources, and the party would come down heavily on those who betrayed it at an appropriate time. The party general secretary Radha Mohan Das Agarwal also attended the meeting.
“We have given detailed information to the party president,” Vijayendra told the media after the meeting. The party president is firm action on those who betrayed the party. He has all the information with him, Ashoka added.
A three-member committee of CT Ravi, N Mahesh (Kollegal) and Mahesh Tenginkai is probing the subject and is trying to determine the number of MLAs who cross voted and identify them. They are relying on their own logical assessment on information gathered verbally from the party collogues as the MLC polls were conducted on secret ballot.
Truth test idea dropped
The party has dropped the idea of holding the legislature party meeting in Dharmasthala, Ashoka told media persons in Delhi after Vijayendra’s idea to hold a truth-test at the famous temple invited resistance from a section of senior leaders.
Union minister Pralhad Joshi, former CM DV Sadananda Gowda and senior MLA S Suresh Kumar were some of the prominent leaders who objected to involving the temple in the shady episode.
The BJP state president toyed with the idea of seeking the divine intervention as there is a strong belief among the people that the presiding deity lord Manjunatha, is an upholder of truth and one cannot get away uttering a lie at the temple.
