‘They have already sidelined Hindutva leaders… The high command blindly trusts whatever Yediyurappa, sons say’: K S Eshwarappa

Why didn’t your son get a Lok Sabha ticket?

The BJP in Karnataka is now following the Congress culture. Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi is against family politics, in Karnataka, the party is facing problems because of a father and his sons (Yediyurappa and sons Raghavendra and B Y Vijayendra, who is an MLA and state BJP president). I agreed not to contest in the Assembly elections after Yediyurappa promised that my son would get a ticket from the Haveri Lok Sabha constituency. But he betrayed us.

They have already sidelined Hindutva leaders like C T Ravi and Pratap Simha. The high command blindly trusts whatever Yediyurappa says. These are the people behind the 2023 Assembly poll loss.

K S Eshwarappa campaigning in Shivamogga, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. (Express photo by Kiran Parashar)

Is it not hypocritical to speak against dynastic politics and seek a ticket for your son?

No, the rule in the party is that one family has one ticket. I am not an MLA, nor was I contesting any elections. Only my son was supposed to contest. I wouldn’t have asked for a ticket if I was an MLA or a minister.

At 76, isn’t contesting as an Independent a risk?

I discussed it with my son and told him that his political career might be at stake too, because of my decision to contest as an Independent. He told me that he will support me to protect the interest of the party and nation.

You are targeting the minority votes. Don’t you think it might end up helping the BJP by cutting into the Opposition’s votes?

Only Vijayendra and Raghavendra fans will tell you this. Go to any village in the constituency, and you will find out how people have suffered at the hands of the Yediyurappa family. I did not invite anyone when filing nominations, yet there were about 35,000 people. Many BJP workers have directly joined my campaign, while others are working discreetly. Everyone knows Geetha Shivarajkumar of the Congress and Yediyurappa have an understanding. She will never win Shivamogga. Even her followers have joined my campaign to defeat Raghavendra.

Are you prepared for the worst possibility?

The reason I am contesting is to expose the dynastic politics of the Yediyurappa family. I want people to discuss it. I did not want to contest, but a lot of people sought my support to defeat them (Yediyurappa’s family).

You claim Hindutva leaders in the BJP have been sidelined. Did you complain to the high command?

They are in a situation where neither can they quit the party, nor join my cause, because they have accepted the party’s dictates, while I have chosen to clean the party.

The BJP objected to your using Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photo in your poll campaign? Are you still using it?

If you ask me ‘Why are you using a Ganesh idol in Ganapathi festival?’, it would be stupid. Likewise, PM Modi is our leader and I will use his photo. The BJP has gone to court, so let us see what the court has to say on the matter. I will continue to use his photo in my campaign.

Did any other party offer you a ticket?

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav approached me to contest on an SP ticket. But I did not respond to his calls or messages.

Do you think the Karnataka BJP will match its 2019 performance?

I don’t know about what is happening at the state or national levels. I am totally focused on winning the Shivamogga seat.