‘Those talking about Hindutva sidelined’: Eshwarappa's fresh attack on BS Yediyurappa
Lok Sabha election: KS Eshwarappa has raised a banner of revolt after the BJP denied poll ticket to his son KE Kantesh from Haveri constituency.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader KS Eshwarappa on Tuesday defended his decision to contest as an independent candidate from Shivamogga in the Lok Sabha election.
“Karnataka’s BJP is in control of one family, and we are protesting against this. All those people who are talking about Hindutva have been sidelined. Whether it is CT Ravi, Pratap Simha, Basangouda Patil Yatnal, Sadananda Gowda, or anyone else, those who speak about Hindutva are being sidelined. They are all leaders, who have done a lot of work for the party," Eshwarappa, who served as deputy chief minister in the previous BJP government, told PTI.
Eshwarappa, 75, has raised a banner of revolt after the BJP denied poll ticket to his son KE Kantesh from Haveri constituency. Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has been fielded from this seat.
He had blamed ex-CM BS Yediyurappa for denial of ticket to his son, accusing the veteran leader of cheating his family. “Yediyurappa promised KE Kantesh will get the BJP ticket from Haveri. Taking him at his word, Kantesh was directing his efforts on Haveri, trying to win the trust of people. However, my son was eventually denied a ticket. Yediyurappa cheated us," said Eshwarappa, who resigned as deputy CM in 2022 after being charged with abetment of suicide of a contractor.
Eshwarappa even skipped Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Shivamogga on Monday. The BJP has fielded Yediyurappa's son BY Raghavendra, who is a sitting MP from the constituency.
Yediyurappa had denied the charge, saying candidates are finalised by the party's central election committee and he had no role in it.
“The party may issue notice to me or expel me. In case I win within two months, I'm confident that my supporters will join me at the feet of my mother -- the BJP,” Eshwarappa had declared.
