A day after former Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda announced retirement from electoral politics, veteran BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa said that Mr. Gowda had made the announcement after the party high command directly told him not to contest the next polls.
Mr. Gowda had claimed that he was retiring from electoral politics to make way for youngsters. In fact, answering a specific query, he had even denied any role of the party high command in his retirement announcement.
However, Mr. Yediyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru on Thursday that the party Central leadership had instructed Mr. Gowda not to contest the polls. After the instructions were issued to him, Mr. Gowda said that he would desist from contesting polls and that he would continue to serve the party organisation, Mr. Yediyurappa said.
Mr. Gowda, who is presently representing Bengaluru North constituency in the Lok Sabha, had recently expressed anguish over reports in a section of media that he was among those who are likely to miss the party ticket for the Lok Sabha polls. A few weeks ago, he had attracted political attention through his remarks that the party Central leadership should take the State leaders into confidence with respect to forging an alliance with the JD(S).
‘Vendetta politics’
Meanwhile, accusing the Congress government of pursuing vendetta politics by stopping development works in the constituencies of BJP MLAs in Bengaluru, Mr. Yediyurappa announced that the party will stage a three-day Satyagraha either in front of Vidhana Soudha or in Freedom Park by the month-end.
Speaking to media persons during the party’s drought assessment visit of R.R. Nagar Assembly constituency, he said the dates of the proposed Satyagraha would be announced on Friday.
He also alleged that contractors were not ready to continue with the ongoing development works in most of the constituencies in Bengaluru as the government was demanding commission of 7.5% to 8%. R.R. Nagar MLA Munirathna alleged that the Congress government had transferred ₹126 crore that had been allocated to his constituency for development works during the erstwhile BJP regime.
