Shobha Karandlaje, MP and BJP leader, defended State party president B.S. Yeddyurappa’s choice of office-bearers and district presidents. She was here to participate in the swearing in of Shailendra Beldale, BJP district unit president.
Mr. Beldale is considered close to Mr. Yeddyurappa and had contested in the last Assembly polls as a Karnataka Janata Paksha candidate from Bidar Sconstituency.
“BJP national president Amit Shah has given full powers to Mr. Yeddyurappa to take independent decisions. He has thus chosen the candidates he thinks are best fit to strengthen the party,” she told presspersons.
To a question about party leader K.S. Eshwarappa objecting to the list of office-bearers as it was not discussed in the party core committee, Ms. Karandlaje said the party central leadership was yet to constitute a core committee to oversee the affairs of the Karnataka BJP.
Later, speaking to party workers, she spoke against dissidence. “Parties like the JD(S) and the Congress have serious internal squabbles. If we follow them and develop differences, people will not forgive us. They will take us to task. We should all work together to achieve the target of 150 seats for the BJP in the next Assembly polls,” she said. She criticised Chief Minister Siddharamaiah for leading an insensitive, inefficient and anti-poor government. “People will teach the Congress a lesson in the coming polls,” she said.
She said that the Union government was delivering on its promises and gaining unprecedented popularity.
