BJP on top but not in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Can BJP which has bounced back in many Congress-ruled states across the country, resurrect itself in Karnataka?

It seems the party that ruled the state for five years between 2008 and 2013, is going from bad to worse. The main reason is that  opposition leaders of the party in the upper and lower Houses of the state legislature have landed in controversies. This may affect the party’s image.

Bengaluru Metropolitan Task Force has served notice on Opposition leader in Assembly Jagadish Shettar to come and depose before it to clarify on the grant of land, meant for Vokkaligara Sangh, to an individual when he (Shettar) was CM. The high court has cleared the decks to investigate the wealth of Council Opposition leader, K.S. Eshwarappa.

A senior leader, who refused to come on record, confided that these developments would impact the party’s image.  On the issue of party taking on the ruling Congress which has been committing one mistake after the other, the leader said the state BJP had two major problems, so it could not take on the Congress  effectively.

One, the leaders who mattered  were involved in furthering their personal agenda. Two, they were not united notwithstanding the semblance of order  from outside. “Even if we fight the Congress, i doubt if people will react positively,” the leader said.

Meanwhile, BJP state president Pralhad Joshi while reacting to the Shetar episode, said he had checked the legality of the decision taken by Mr Shettar and added he would come out clean.