Shivappa seeks PM’s intervention on expulsion issue

BANGALORE, OCT 29: B B Shivappa, a senior BJP leader who has been suspended from the party for alleged “anti-party activities and indiscipline”, today sought PM A B Vajpayee’s intervention on the issue and charged that there was an “ulterior motive to engineer” his expulsion.

Shivappa, who was suspended by the Karnataka state leadership following the violence in last Sunday’s election to choose the BJP legislature party leader, for which he was also a contender, said his supporters did not indulge in “any form of violence”. He said the report submitted by the party state unit president B S Yediyurappa on the happenings was prepared with a “prejudiced mind, is partisan in nature, false in content and has a definite ulterior motive to engineer my expulsion from the party”.

Shivappa was suspended after his supporters allegedly went on the rampage when he lost to Jagadish Shettar in the election. Shivappa said there were a few hundred “suspicious looking characters” around the party officeallegedly hired by a few party leaders to take advantage of the situation during the election to tarnish his image and credibility.

He said he had certain reservations against a few leaders in the state unit on their style of functioning but he had no ill-will towards anybody personally nor had he differences with the party’s ideology, policy, philosophy and programmes.

Shivappa, however, has denied his involvement in the violence.