With the ruling party’s image taking a severe beating in the wake of a series of scams involving ministers, the top brass of the BJP took a decision on Saturday to call off the Bengaluru leg of patriarch L.K. Advani’s Janchetna Yatra scheduled for October 30.
Senior leaders, who were embarrassed about cases filed against former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and former ministers Katta Subramanya Naidu and Ess Enn Krishnaiah Setty, evidently chose to avoid more discomfiture for Mr Advani as soon as the Lokayukta police registered a FIR (First Information Report) against home minister R Ashok on Friday. The fact that Mr Ashok was scheduled to share the dais with Mr Advani during the rally here on October 30 forced them to change the itinerary, sources in the party told this newspaper.
The sources said Mr Advani too was reluctant to arrive here at a time when the image of the state government was at its nadir. He conveyed his decision to H.N. Ananth Kumar, general secretary and MP of Bengaluru (South). At the same time, party president Nitin Gadkari advised CM D.V. Sadananda Gowda to call off the rally in Bengaluru, forcing state unit chief K.S. Eshwarappa to cancel his press conference to announce details of the public meeting on Saturday. In view of the change in his itinerary, Mr Advani would land in Mangalore and address rallies in Dakshina Kannada and Utttar Kannada districts on October 30, the sources added.
Meanwhile, according to a PTI report, the RSS is embarrassed over recent developments involving Mr Yeddyurappa, a senior organisation functionary said on Saturday.
“The recent episode of Yeddyurappa is an embarrassment to the RSS. Whenever Yeddyurappa visited the Sangh headquarters here, RSS senior functionaries advised him as he is a swayamsevak. If he has not taken the advice seriously, it is wrong to blame the RSS,” joint general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said in a statement here.
Mr Yeddyurappa used to consult the outfit leaders on various issues, particularly when he faced crisis during his stint as the chief minister.