Former minister Kumar Bangarappa to join BJP on March 9

Bengaluru: In a huge blow to the Congress and a major boost for BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa in his home turf of Shivamogga, former minister Kumar Bangarappa, son of the redoubtable Sarekoppa Bangarappa, on Friday announced his shock decision to quit the party he had served for two decades and said he would be  joining the BJP on March 9.  Declaring that the current scenario in the state Congress is not conducive for a young politician like him, the actor-politician will severely damage the Congress' prospects in Shivamogga district where the Bangarappas have held sway for several decades.

"I am really impressed with the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the nation. He is decisive, honest and hard working, I want to strengthen his hands by joining the BJP," announced Kumar, 54, whose brother Madhu Bangarappa is in the JD(S) representing Soraba Assembly constituency.

Speaking to reporters here, Bangarappa trained his guns on CM Siddaramaiah and KPCC president, Dr G. Parameshwar, charging that the Congress was a divided house due the ongoing internal tussle between the two leaders since 2013 when the party came to power. "The ruling party is in shambles going by the corruption charges faced by several ministers and even the CM. No one is really interested in protecting the Congress legacy anymore, they are busy promoting the JD(S) legacy. Besides, the chasm is widening between insiders and outsiders in the party," he said in a swipe at Siddaramaiah, who had crossed over from the JD(S) a decade ago.

Accusing Dr Parameshwar of failing to strengthen the party, Kumar said he had informed Congress President Sonia Gandhi about the sad state of affairs but no action was taken. "So, it was imperative for me think of an alternative and I feel the BJP is the most suitable party for me," he said, shrugging off questions from the media on how he reconciled his former criticism of Modi and BSY with his plans to join the saffron outfit. Revenue minister Kagodu Thimmappa too came in for some  harsh treatment with Kumar describing him as a "most unscrupulous and unprincipled leader in the district (Shivamogga) who thrived on vengeance politics.”