Former deputy chief minister K.S. Eshwarappa, who was summoned to Delhi by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to quell the dissent within the Karnataka BJP over ticket distribution, returned to Bengaluru on Thursday morning after Shah allegedly called off the meeting. On his return, the veteran leader from Shivamogga, asserted that he would go ahead with his plan to contest as an independent candidate from Shivamogga. “I am confident of defeating the party’s official candidate and sitting MP B.Y. Raghavendra,” said Eshwarappa, who is miffed over his son Kantesh being denied a ticket to contest from Haveri after the BJP chose former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai to contest from the seat.
In an exclusive interview to the Malayala Manorama, the Kuruba leader has alleged that the state BJP was in the clutches of Lingayat strongman and former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa and his sons, and that his contest and the subsequent victory would be the answer to the sidelining of Hindutva leaders in the state.
Q/ Did Amit Shah summon you to Delhi?
A/ On Tuesday, I got a call from Rajesh ji, the organising secretary of BJP. He told me Amit Shah wanted to speak to me. He asked me why a senior leader like me wanted to be the rebel candidate. I explained to him all the reasons for my contest. So, he asked me to come to Delhi for talks on Wednesday night. If he had not called me, I would not have gone to Delhi. After I landed in Delhi, I called Amit Shah's office number. Rajesh ji told me I was supposed to go to Amit Shah's residence. But after I called the office twice to fix the meeting, and after waiting for long, I was informed that Shah had called off the meeting saying there was no need for the meeting now.
Q/ What do you make of it. What is Amit Shah’s stance on your contest?
A/ He had asked me to come to Delhi and, at the last minute, he called off the meeting. So, I am of the opinion that he, too, is in favour of my contesting the election from Shivamogga.
Q/ Did you convey your decision to Amit Shah?
A/ Of course. Even before I left for Delhi, during my phone call with Amit Shah, I had told him not to give me any direction to withdraw from the contest. He told me he was not giving any direction but a prayer. I told him I would come to Delhi but would not withdraw from the contest. Since Amit Shah did not meet me, it has made my decision easy. I will not be defying him too. I believe God created this conducive situation. I will file my nomination on April 12.
Q/ Will you go ahead and contest as an independent or will you change your decision, considering there is still time for filing the nomination?
A/ I will contest 100 per cent.
Q/ You have claimed that the party workers would back you and not the official party candidate B.Y. Raghavendra
A/ Yes. The party workers too feel the dynasty politics of the "father and sons" (Yediyurappa and his sons Raghavendra and Vijayendra) should come to an end as they have sidelined the Hindutva ideology and all the Hindutva leaders.
Q/ What is your grouse against B.S. Yediyurappa?
A/ It is not just my opinion, but of most party leaders and partyworkers that the father and sons have been creating trouble for all the Hindutva leaders in the state. They have done injustice to leaders like C.T. Ravi, Pratap Simha, Anant Kumar Hegde, Sadanand Gowda and myself. The party workers are prepared as it is a fight for justice.
Q/ The central election committee has the final say in candidate selection. Why are you blaming only Yediyurappa or his son?
A/ It is true that the central committee takes the final decision. But the central leaders are today overdependent on Yediyurappa. For instance, the state president's post was lying vacant for six months. Yediyurappa demanded that his son be made the state party chief and he remained adamant.
Ironically, the central leaders who have been opposing dynasty politics in the country don't feel that the state BJP has become a "Appa-Makkala" (father-sons") party. The father is a central election committee member, one son is an MP, the other is an MLA and the state chief. Is Karnataka not part of India? Why this exception to the rule?
Q/ Does the BJP central leadership feel Yediyurappa is indispensable to the party?
A/ Perhaps, the leaders believe so. Yediyurappa has misled the party high command into believing he is indispensable. He has been projecting himself as the undisputed Lingayat leader.
Q/ Does this imply that the central BJP leadership does not rely on non-Lingayat leadership?
A/ You have ask this question to the BJP leadership. If you ask me, my decision to contest as a rebel is to fight this very false belief that BJP cannot look beyond Lingayat community and Yediyurappa.
Q/ Did the party not consult the state leaders before selecting the candidates? Was Kanthesh Eshwarappa's name recommended at all?
A/ After state-level consultations, we sent three names from each constituency. But, in some constituencies, the committee ignored all three names and Yediyurappa picked candidates of his choice. For instance, in Haveri, my son (Kanthesh) was one of the three candidates picked by state leaders along with Basavaraj Bommai. Yediyurappa promised me that he would ensure that Kanthesh gets a ticket and that he would campaign for him to ensure his victory. In fact, during the core committee meeting, Bommai had refused to contest citing he had undergone a surgery and wanted to rest. He also recommended Kantesh's name in the meeting in my presence saying Kantesh was a young leader from the backward class. But Yediyurappa decided to give the ticket to Bommai.
Q/ Why is Kantesh not contesting as an independent candidate?
A/ Kantesh is too young to take on Yediyurappa's son Raghavendra, who is the sitting MP. I am determined to defeat Raghavendra to send a strong message. I am very confident of winning.
Q/ As a backward class leader, a contemporary of Yediyurappa with the RSS background, you did not assert your leadership in the state. Even your political experiment - Sangolli Rayanna Brigade, to take on fellow Kuruba and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah by uniting the backward classes - fizzled out. Do you regret it?
A/ It was Yediyurappa who had vehemently opposed the brigade too, as uniting the backward classes and SC, ST to favour the BJP would diminish his stature in the party and strength leaders like myself. Even central leaders stood with him. It was our bad luck.
Q/ You have always complied with the party's diktat. What triggered your revolt this time?
A/ When Yediyurappa floated KJP and quit the party, I was the energy minister. I stepped down and took over the reins of the party. I was denied a ticket during the last assembly polls. I have always obeyed the BJP and the RSS diktat in the interest of the party. But this time, I could not put up with so much injustice. So, I am contesting the polls.
Q/ Who will support you in Shivamogga?
A/ All the Hindutva leaders are supporting my decision, but nobody is doing it openly. Though they agreed that my move was justified they are not brave enough to openly admit it. In Shivamogga, many Sangh pracharaks have started campaigning for me. All Hindu outfits, Hindu Jagarana Vedike members, RSS activists in Shivamogga and Byndoor are supporting me.
Q/ When the BJP was defeated in the assembly polls last year, there were allegations that Yediyurappa was responsible for the party's defeat in several seats especially in the Lingayat belt. What changed now that the party is again relying on Yediyurappa to win the Lok Sabha polls?
A/ There have been allegations (against Yediyurappa). Nothing has changed. I fail to understand why central leaders continue to give preference to Yediyurappa.
