E-Paper
No talk of replacing state BJP chief: CM
With speculation rife of a possible change in leadership before the 2023 assembly elections, rumour mills have been abuzz on who the replacement could be. However, chief minister Bommai said that there was currently no discussions on a possible replacement.
Several leaders, including Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and parliamentary board member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, BS Yediyurappa on Sunday congratulated party president in Karnataka, Nalin Kumar Kateel, for completing three years as the party chief in state.
“Hearty congratulations to Shri @nalinkateel who has completed three years as BJP State President. I hope that God will give him the strength to serve the people and organize the party in more ways (sic),” Yediyurappa took to Twitter to convey his wishes to Kateel.
“I am very happy to have spent 3 years as the state president of the biggest political party with your cooperation and guidance. I am satisfied that I have fulfilled the responsibility given by the party to the best of my ability. Thank you for your greeting message.May your advice and guidance be like this in the days to come (sic),” Kateel tweeted in reply to one of the wishes he got.
With speculation rife of a possible change in leadership before the 2023 assembly elections, rumour mills have been abuzz on who the replacement could be. However, chief minister Bommai said that there was currently no discussions on a possible replacement.
“I am not aware of any change of state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel and no discussion has been held in this connection,” he said.
“In the last three years he has toured the entire state 8-10 times. He has not only organised the party in the booth level but also effectively faced the gram panchayat, state legislative council and by-election, and has been successful. All are going ahead under Kateel’s leadership. The party will get more strength under his leadership,” Bommai said.
The statements come at a time when Kateel has been facing some opposition, especially from his home district of Dakshina Kannada.
A campaign poster calling for Kateel’s ouster before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mangaluru, scheduled on September 2, is also doing the rounds on social media, HT reported on August 24.
The poster in Kannada reads; “Along with Hindutva, we need the development of Mangaluru and for this a leader with a long-term vision.” “For the last one month, especially after Praveen Nettaru’s murder, workers are demanding for his change openly. Will these people talk if there is no grounds to do so? Like how there is no smoke without fire,” said one senior leader of the BJP in the district, requesting anonymity, HT reported earlier.
However, others are not ruling out a growing wave of dissent against Kateel.
Known to be a close confidante of BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh, Kateel’s rise as the state president in 2019 had come as a surprise but as a move to balance out the power equation which relied heavily on BS Yediyurappa, the then chief minister.
The dissent against Kateel came out in the open recently after the murder of BJP youth wing worker Nettaru on July 26. Kateel’s car was waylaid and several right-wing workers had demanded that he be sacked from the party and from his position as member of Parliament.
“My hope is that our organisation should get stronger and permanent. It’s not that I should get power and nor do I have any such expectation. But my job is to complete the responsibility given to me,” Kateel said.
