Even while sparks were flying all across the Coastal Karnataka, which is considered as the BJP’s bastion, one particular theatre that is causing the BJP a severe heartburn is the one in Kundapur, where a loyal BJP MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty has quit over ‘being snubbed’ while state minister for Muzrai Kota Srinivas Poojary’s loyalty has come in for scrutiny in the party.
Poojary rose to ministerial power in a meteoric rise in the Jagadish Shettar cabinet, with the seat originally being reserved for Shetty. But now the BJP cadres are suspecting Poojary’s loyalty to the party and are genuinely feeling the loss of Shetty.
Elders in the party in Kundapur assembly constituency have pointed out that Poojary, who used attend all meetings of the party as well as the BJP’s committee meetings till last month, was now making himself scarce. He has also not met the party elders in his constituency for one month, “which worries us,” says Sathish Kamath, an elder in the party.
“Kota and Shetty were both loyal workers of the party and it was only due to the Yeddyurappa factor that they were at loggerheads in recent times. We did not know that the BSY mantra would wreck the party in this constituency. We know that Kota was given the ministerial berth in the last minute on the instructions of BS Yeddyurappa. He played a very clever game to use the chief minister Jagadish Shettar and KS Eshwarappa to get a few of his followers ministerial berths after having Sadananda Gowda thrown out of the CM’s post.
Why BSY chose Kota in the place of loyal worker of the BJP, Haladi Srinivas Shetty? (Because otherwise) He could not have had Shetty waver in his loyalty to the party,” Kamath said.
“We are not yet sure if Kota was in BSY’s pocket. Even last week when he had come to Kundapur, he had attended a party meeting,” said Udayraj Shetty, an office bearer of the Kundapur taluk party unit.
Clearing the air, Poojary said he had no doubt in his mind that he was loyal to the BJP.
“BJP is my home and I do not carry a halo around my head due to the minister’s post. I am still a common party worker of BJP, I am minister now because the party decided. Nobody should have any doubt about my loyalty to the party,” he said.
