Kateel should resign as BJP State President for Assembly election defeat: Renukacharya
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Bengaluru: BJP leader and former MLA M P Renukacharya on Thursday said the party's state President Nalin Kumar Kateel should have resigned from the post, taking moral responsibility for the Assembly poll debacle.
Targeting party leaders without taking any names, the former minister alleged that the BJP office has been turned into a "corporate office", and urged them to introspect and work towards strengthening the party and boosting the morale of the workers for the Lok Sabha elections and the zilla and taluk panchayat polls, among others.
"After the election debacle, the state president should have taken moral responsibility and resigned. He should have taken the moral responsibility. Some days ago there was news that he had resigned, and within an hour after that statement came denying it. What is happening," Renukacharya asked.
Speaking to reporters here, he said people still have respect towards the BJP, but the party leaders should set-right things within.
"BJP should come to power once again in the state and at the Centre, Narendra Modi should become Prime Minister once again. Morale of the party workers should be restored to face zilla panchayat , taluk panchayat and other polls. So introspect. I don't know whether there is a soul in some people to introspect," he lamented, alleging that some have turned the BJP office into a "corporate office".
Further alleging that party workers are being threatened, he asked some leaders -- without taking any names -- to shed their dictatorial attitude. Renukacharya said, "Just about four days ahead of elections, leaders held online meetings, virtual rallies. Looking at their faces daily, workers were tired."
When reporters pressed him to take names, he said he will come out with names when the situation arises. "I'm not speaking about Narendra Modi or Amit Shah or J P Nadda, but here some leaders had rigid self esteem, a sense of competition among themselves," the former MLA said.
"Leaders who had no practical knowledge, who had not won even a gram panchayat election were guiding us," he pointed out, adding, "Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, who was the poll co-incharge for the party in Karnataka, came here and was giving guidance to us".
"Is Annamalai a big hero? He had come here and was striking a pose... Former CMs Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai had to listen to someone who used to salute them (Annamalai had served as IPS officer in Karnataka in the past)," Renukacharya charged.
Targeting the state BJP leaders, he said, "When Congress was announcing poll guarantees much before the elections, our leaders were sleeping, and the party manifesto which came very late, did not even reach the people."
Candidates to some seats were announced at the last moment, he added, "which also led to the loss". State President Kateel and other leaders travelled across the state but failed to convert public response into votes, he complained.
Questioning why Yediyurappa was made to step down as chief minister, Renukacharya said his removal from the CM post contributed to the party's defeat in the Assembly election.
"With Modi and Yediyurappa as the face, you wanted to win the election, but what was your contribution towards winning the polls?" he asked party leaders, without naming anyone, despite reporters repeatedly asking whether he was targeting BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh.
He also pointed out that denial of tickets to some senior leaders led to the situation, and questioned, "Were they denied tickets to make way for your (leaders) chelas (followers)?"
Ruling out the possibility of him joining the Congress, Renukacharya said his recent meeting with Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar was just a courtesy call.
"My intention is to see Modi as Prime Minister once again... I'm an aspirant for MP ticket, have conveyed it to the party. Let's see what happens," he said.
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Authorities know about Maoists' weapons, they will be brought following due process: CM Siddaramaiah
Mysuru, Jan 10: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said authorities are in the know about the place where the weapons of six Maoists, who have surrendered, are kept, and that they will be brought following due process.
He also defended the Maoists surrendering before the government, which has come under criticism from the opposition BJP, stating that the intention of the administration is to end Naxalism and the people involved in such activities should come to the mainstream giving up arms.
"Weapons are there. Their mahajar will be done and they will be brought. We know where it is. After mahajar it will be brought," Siddaramaiah said in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters here, he said that the government's intention is that there should be no Naxalism, and it wants any agitation to be peaceful.
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"There should be no armed agitation. Babasaheb Ambedkar too said the same thing that constitutional methods should be used. There should be no usage of unconstitutional methods. No one should take law into their hands in the name of protest or agitation," he added.
Earlier in the day, Home Minister G Parameshwara said that six surrendered Maoists have not handed over their weapons, and the police are working to locate and recover them from the forest where they are believed to have been disposed of.
Noting that one Maoist, expelled from the surrendered group, is still at large and efforts are underway to trace him, the minister said there is no one else involved in Naxal activities in the state.
To a question about one Maoist being still at large, the CM said, "We are not sure whether one more Maoist is there are not. If he is there, I appeal to him too, to come to the mainstream."
To a question by farmers' protest against the central government, demanding for a 'legal MSP guarantee', Siddaramaiah said, "The Government of India is not a government that is pro farmer. Farmers are protesting, demanding to provide a legal framework for MSP, but they (govt) are not ready to do so. They are not agreeing to farmers' demands; this is an inhuman and anti-farmers government."
Asked about BJP planning 'Bhima Sangama' campaign as part of which party leaders will have food with Dalit families, Siddaramaiah, calling it a "joke", said, BJP's feelings and respect towards Ambedkar is known from Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement (referring to his alleged comments during a debate on the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha last month).
"The BJP and its leaders speak about changing the Constitution. RSS leadership and Savarkar from Hindu Mahasabha had opposed the Constitution. While Congress is committed to the Constitution, we are protecting and implementing the Constitution and its objectives," he said.
Stating that he held discussions with the protesting Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA workers) from Karnataka, demanding a fixed monthly honorarium and other benefits, the CM said, he has told them the government will ensure that they get Rs 10,000 every month including incentives, and they have said that they will withdraw the protest.
"Currently Rs 8,000 is being given to them. It will be made Rs 10,000, including incentives. For those to whom the incentives don't add up to a total of Rs 10,000, we will give it," he said, adding that the fiscal position of the state is good.
