2 Dalit leaders quit BJP, likely to join Congress
TNN | Mar 17, 2019, 04:13 ISTKalaburagi: After expressing displeasure over the BJP’s choice of fielding Umesh Jadhav from the Kalaburagi Lok Sabha constituency, veteran Dalit leader K B Shanappa on Saturday made public his decision to resign from the party’s primary membership. His associate Shyamarao Pyati, also a Dalit leader, also quit the party. The duo is likely to join the Congress.
The veteran Shanappa, who joined the BJP in 2006, is upset that the party did not consider him while finalizing the ticket to Umesh Jadhav. Shanappa was a ticket aspirant from the Kalaburagi constituency. “I was not consulted while bringing Jadhav to the BJP. So why should I stay in the BJP?” he questioned.
He told reporters that BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa lacks vision. Shanappa added that Yeddyurappa had opposed his membership in the Rajya Sabha and legislative council. Shanappa was a Rajya Sabha member from 2006 to 2012 before becoming an MLC. His tenure as an MLC ended six months ago.
Shanappa was a two-time CPI MLA before joining the Janata Dal. He was the excise minister in the Janata Dal government led by J H Patel. During his stint with the Janata Dal he lost to Kharge, but was made an MLC later.
Pyati, who quit the BJP with Shanappa, is a former Kalaburagi Urban Development Authority chairman.
The veteran Shanappa, who joined the BJP in 2006, is upset that the party did not consider him while finalizing the ticket to Umesh Jadhav. Shanappa was a ticket aspirant from the Kalaburagi constituency. “I was not consulted while bringing Jadhav to the BJP. So why should I stay in the BJP?” he questioned.
He told reporters that BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa lacks vision. Shanappa added that Yeddyurappa had opposed his membership in the Rajya Sabha and legislative council. Shanappa was a Rajya Sabha member from 2006 to 2012 before becoming an MLC. His tenure as an MLC ended six months ago.
Shanappa was a two-time CPI MLA before joining the Janata Dal. He was the excise minister in the Janata Dal government led by J H Patel. During his stint with the Janata Dal he lost to Kharge, but was made an MLC later.
Pyati, who quit the BJP with Shanappa, is a former Kalaburagi Urban Development Authority chairman.
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