Brigade needed for justice: KS Eshwarappa

Belagavi: Senior BJP leader, K S Eshwarappa, who has upset  his party leadership with his continued support for the Sangolli Rayana Brigade , seen  as a potential parallel power centre within the BJP, said on Wednesday he was not sure why he was dropped from teams formed by the party to review  the drought situation in the state.

Claiming  he was not upset at being dropped from them, he pointed out  he had toured four drought-hit districts of the state as  the head of one of the party's teams in the past. “I am not  aware why  I was dropped from the present teams, but you should ask B.S. Yeddyurappa this,'' he told reporters, when asked to comment on the issue.

Reiterating that Mr Yeddyurappa was the sole leader of the party, he said the BJP would come to power in the state in 2018 and he would return as Chief Minister.

However, continuing to  justify the  launch of the brigade, he said Dalits and backward classes,  who were deprived of social justice even so many years after Independence needed an organisation to fight for their rights and make sure they got their due.

 Addressing a meeting of Dalits and backward classes at Chikkodi, near Belagavi, he said the brigade had a bright future, and it planned to hold another big convention next year. Mr Eshwarappa also claimed the convention would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.