Several BJP leaders tick off KS Eshwarappa

Several BJP leaders, including national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh and state home minister Basavaraj Bommai, disapproved of rural development minister KS Eshwarappa writing to the governor against chief minister BS Yediyurappa.

The senior minister, who is also a long-time associate of Yediyurappa, should have sorted out his differences with the CM by talking to him instead of dragging the governor into the issue, they said.

“If a minister has a problem, he should talk to the chief minister. It is not a right approach to write to the governor,” Arun Singh said in Delhi. The party, he said, will pay attention to the issue only after the elections are over.

Bommai said the CM was at liberty to release funds since he also holds the finance portfolio. “The CM perhaps released funds directly because he was under pressure from MLAs to take up development works that were stalled because of Covid,” he said.

Eshwarappa wrote to governor VR Vala on Wednesday, complaining about the CM’s alleged interference in his department, kicking off a storm in the state BJP and providing fodder to the opposition Congress to embarrass the BJP regime. Congress said the minister’s letter was evidence of the state BJP’s corruption.