BJP issues notice to Yatnal over remarks against party leaders

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, who is in New Delhi on Monday, said that the party leadership was appraised of the leader’s comments during the protests on the state Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation for the Panchamasali community.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central disciplinary committee has issued notice to senior party legislator and former Union Minister Basangouda Patil Yatnal for making comments against two state ministers, Murugesh Nirani and CC Patil, in a public forum.

Former Union Minister Basangouda Patil Yatnal (HT)

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, who is in New Delhi on Monday, said that the party leadership was appraised of the leader’s comments during the protests on the state Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation for the Panchamasali community.

“The leadership is aware of all this. We had given notices in the past and had been quiet for a year. Now, he has spoken again about a few issues. Nirani (senior minister Murugesh Nirani) has also spoken. Our party president has spoken to the party leaders and has sent a report. We will decide on the issue after the national executive meeting,” Bommai said, even as Yatnal denied reports of a fresh notice to him.

On Monday, state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel recommended the central leadership take disciplinary action against Yatnal over his statements. The BJP in Karnataka has found itself in a spot over the last week with the BJP MLA and senior minister Murugesh Nirani indulging in a war of words and hitting below the belt. Yatnal has also attacked former CM B S Yediyurappa and his son B Y Vijayendra in the past.

Two groups within the Pachamasali community are divided over the Karnataka government’s decision on reservation for the Lingayat sub-sect and this disagreement is fuelled by the feud between large and medium-scale industries minister Murgesh Nirani and Vijayapura City BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal, community leaders in the know of the developments said.

While addressing a protest rally by Panchamasalis recently, he had referred to a minister as a pimp without naming him. This is not the first time Yatnal has put the party in a difficult position. He had created a stir when he claimed that a leader has to cough up ₹2,500 crore to become a chief minister.

Taking note of Yatnal’s consistent allegations against his own party’s leaders, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Priyank Kharge has demanded that the government order a judicial inquiry.

“Yatnal is a former Union minister and senior BJP legislator. His allegations cannot be taken lightly. He has been consistently alleging that senior BJP leaders have joined hands with KS Manjunath (Santro Ravi), who is accused of trafficking in human beings. He has provided enough evidence that he has the support of senior BJP leaders in the State for his illegal transactions. The strange thing is that none from the ruling party has countered the accused or dismissed his statements,” said Kharge.

Karnataka police on Friday arrested KS Manjunath alias ‘Santro Ravi’, an alleged human trafficker. Audio clips of a voice that purportedly belonged to ‘Santro’ Ravi, heard discussing deals for favourable transfers for police officers had also surfaced. Soon after pictures and videos of ‘Santro’ Ravi with prominent Karnataka ministers caused much embarrassment for the BJP government, leading to a probe against him.

“Yatnal has clearly said that probe into Santro Ravi’s case will not be taken to its logical conclusion as doing so will expose the involvement of many BJP leaders in his illegal activities. If the BJP government is clean, it should immediately order an impartial probe and bring the culprits to justice,” Kharge said.