The disarray in the opposition BJP in Karnataka since the bitter loss in the state Assembly elections last month continues to reveal itself, with the party on Thursday issuing a disciplinary notice to a leader considered a close ally of former CM B S Yediyurappa. The head of the BJP's disciplinary committee in Karnataka issued a notice to former BJP Honnali MLA M P Renukacharya, who lost in the recent polls, asking why action should not be taken against him for not heeding party warnings and continuing to make statements against state and central leaders of the BJP. Earlier this week, Renukacharya sniped at the BJP leadership and told the media that the removal of his political guru Yediyurappa from the CM's post in 2021 by the party was the prime reason for its poll loss. He also said that state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel should have taken responsibility for the poll loss and quit. Renukacharya went on to question BJP decisions such as poll responsibilities to persons “with little or no political experience”, referring to Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai who served as a police officer in Karnataka before joining the BJP and was a poll co-in-charge. "Former CM Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai had to listen to a person who was saluting them until recently," he said. The sniping by Renukacharya against the state BJP leadership is seen as a continuation of the power struggle between factions loyal to Yediyurappa, and those with national organisation secretary B L Santhosh and BJP central leaders. BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, whom Renukacharya attacked, is an associate of Santhosh. But while several leaders belonging to the two camps have been attacking each other publicly, this is the first time a disciplinary notice was issued to anyone. Renukacharya is seen as the bottom of the BJP pecking order, perhaps explaining the notice. “After losing the elections, the state party president should assume moral responsibility and resign. Some days ago there were reports that he had quit, but within an hour, this was denied. Why is this happening?” Renukacharya said, speaking to reporters Wednesday. He said that the BJP needed to introspect so as to return to power in the state and Centre, and build morale to face zilla panchayat, taluk panchayat and local polls. “But I don't know whether some people have the capacity to introspect.” Renukacharya accused senior leaders of adopting a dictatorial attitude, causing distrust and lack of cohesion at all levels in the party. "I am not referring to Narendra Modi or Amit Shah or J P Nadda, but some other leaders who had rigid self-esteem and competed among themselves," he said. In reference to a BJP leader, he said: "With Modi and Yediyurappa as the faces of the party, you wanted to win the polls, but what was your contribution towards winning the polls?" The sniping between the rival groups has been happening even as the BJP central leadership has not moved forward on picking a new state president — Kateel is on a one-year extension, that ends in August — or filling key positions like Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly despite the new legislature scheduled to convene for the first proper session from July 3. The first to comment on the poll loss was BJP national general secretary C T Ravi, who was among those who lost, who blamed "adjustment politics" of BJP leaders. Ravi is considered part of the Santhosh camp. "How many times did we ask (the then Bommai government) to table a report on the Arkavathy case (to corner Siddaramaiah)? If we had acted on irregularities related to solar power, then this situation would not have arised," he said. Subsequently, BJP MP Pratap Simha accused BJP governments under Yediyurappa and Bommai of not taking any action over corruption allegations against Opposition leaders. Former Union minister Ramesh Jigajinagi jumped into the fray and questioned some pre-poll decisions of the BJP. He said the primary reason for the defeat were the five pre-poll populist guarantees of the Congress, while the second reason was the fielding of 70 new candidates for the polls. "What was the need to field 70 new candidates? How many of these 70 seats did you win? If you had fielded old faces in 70 seats, we would have won 30-35 seats," Jigajinagi said. A Congress spokesperson said what was happening within the BJP was expected. "Even BJP leaders know that the rift between the Yediyurappa camp and Santhosh camp was the factor that hurt them the most. Moreover, people were tired of the BJP and its corrupt government.”
