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BJP leaders hold protests demanding Siddaramaiah’s arrest
Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and workers were detained by the police during a protest against chief minister Siddaramaiah in MUDA case
Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and workers were detained by the police during a protest against chief minister Siddaramaiah after a special court ordered a Lokayukta police probe against him the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment case.
Holding placards and shouting slogans, several party lawmakers and leaders took part in the protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha. The gathering, attended by opposition leaders like Basangouda Patil Yatnal, Arvind Limbavali, Pratap Simha, and GM Siddeshwara, underscored the ongoing discontent within the party’s ranks, particularly surrounding the leadership of state BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra.
“Two court orders have come against Siddaramaiah. When we first protested inside and outside the assembly they (CM and Congress) termed it as politically motivated and when the governor order came they said it was at the behest of the BJP-led government at the centre. Now the High Court and Special Court have given orders, they have found truth in allegations and said it needs to be investigated,” Ashoka said.
Siddaramaiah is currently facing a Lokayukta probe in the MUDA case, where he stands accused of allocating prime real estate to his wife.
Speaking on the sidelines of the protest, Ashoka said, “despite this, the Congress is playing a drama calling it politically motivated....Siddaramaiah must resign and respectfully cooperate with the investigation. We are not saying the government should go, if not him (Siddaramaiah as CM), someone else. We want a fair probe, and government property should be protected.”
The protesting BJP lawmakers and leaders including Ashoka were later whisked away by the police in a bus, as they marched towards the Vidhana Soudha building, shouting slogans demanding CM’s resignation, allegedly with an intention to lay siege to it.
Meanwhile, a meeting was held on Thursday at senior leader Kumar Bangarappa’s residence led by leaders opposing BJP leader BY Vijayendra’s leadership. This comes just a week after a gathering in Bengaluru that sought to reconcile two factions within the party.
Although the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) facilitated the previous discussion on Wednesday, urging unity, internal friction continues to threaten the BJP’s image as a cohesive opposition force in Karnataka. Leaders present at the meeting voiced sharp criticism against Vijayendra, with former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi leading the charge.
“We cannot stand behind his leadership. He’s too new and a junior leader. His actions have contributed to the party’s tarnished reputation in Karnataka. The BJP should shift towards a shared leadership model, rather than depending solely on Vijayendra,” Jarkiholi told HT on Wednesday.
Senior leader Basangouda Patil Yatnal has also criticised Vijayendra and accused him of sidelining veteran leaders and running the party with a small group of loyalists. A faction of like-minded leaders recently held private meetings in Belagavi and at suspended BJP leader KS Eshwarappa’s residence, raising concerns about an escalating internal divide.
In response, Vijayendra said: “I am swallowing everything in the interest of the party. My goal is to bring the BJP back to power with a majority in the next assembly election.”
Responding to the rebel meeting on Thursday, he said: “I don’t know why they held a meeting; you should ask them. I heard Eshwarappa talk about the BJP and how they won’t accept my leadership. But he should remember that he worked against the party in the last parliamentary election, contesting against the BJP candidate. He didn’t do it for the party but for his son.”
The conflict between Vijayendra and Jarkiholi dates back to 2019, during BS Yediyurappa’s tenure as chief minister. Their rift deepened following the sex tape case that led to Jarkiholi’s ouster from the cabinet.
In a bid to calm the storm, the RSS intervened last week and held multiple marathon mediations involving key leaders such as Vijayendra, Yatnal, Jarkiholi, and former MP Pratap Simha. The meeting, chaired by RSS leader Mukunda and BJP national general secretary BL Santhosh, called for reconciliation and urged the leaders to focus on the upcoming rural local body elections.
“The central leadership needs to intervene, or else the situation could spiral out of control,” remarked a senior leader familiar with the discussions, who requested anonymity.
“We need to get our house in order if we want to effectively challenge the Congress,” said another senior BJP leader, who also spoke anonymously. “There is no coordinated effort to unify the party, especially when there’s a chance of a chief minister’s resignation soon.”
The upcoming assembly bypolls in seats, including Channapatna, Shiggaon, and Sandur, and local body elections in the state are expected to be a critical test of the BJP’s organisational strength. “If these internal rifts continue, the party risks weakening its grassroots presence. Some leaders are prioritizing their careers over the party’s success,” said a BJP office-bearer who didn’t wish to be named. According to him, the central leadership might be waiting for assembly elections in other states to conclude before addressing the Karnataka crisis.
