Bengaluru: Senior BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal will meet Om Pathak, member secretary of the BJP central disciplinary committee, on Wednesday and provide an explanation for the show-cause notice served on him following his open criticism of state BJP president BY Vijayendra.
Former BJP minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, a key member of the Yatnal group that is camping in Delhi to meet the high command, told reporters that the meeting between Yatnal and Pathak is scheduled for Wednesday morning. During this meeting, the former Union minister will present his version of events concerning his disagreement with Vijayendra.
"It (the reply) is going to be a one-line explanation. Yatnal will defend his ongoing state tour over the waqf issue. Since the party also has the same stance on the waqf issue as ours, the question of us violating the party's discipline does not arise at all," Jarkiholi said.
"If Vijayendra took up the waqf issue and started a movement, we would not have embarked on the state tour," he added.
Pathak served a show-cause notice to Yatnal on Sunday over his repeated tirades against Vijayendra and his father, former CM BS Yediyurappa. Yatnal was given 10 days to reply in writing.
Jarkiholi accused Vijayendra of indulging in anti-party activities and urged Pathak to issue a notice to him. "Vijayendra has been summoning district BJP presidents to Bengaluru under the guise of holding official meetings and forcefully making them sign letters to seek Yatnal's expulsion from the party. Isn't it an anti-party activity? Being the state president, can he indulge in such activities?" he said.
"We will soon meet the party high command seeking action against Vijayendra," he added.
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31 dist BJP prezs sign letter seeking Yatnal's ouster
Around 20 district BJP presidents have reportedly signed a letter seeking the expulsion of Yatnal and his camp members from the party. It is said that the district presidents sent a letter to BJP National President JP Nadda through BJP national general secretary Tarun Chug, who was in Bengaluru on Tuesday to take stock of the ongoing membership drive of the party.
The district presidents stressed that at a time when the state unit is preparing to challenge the Siddaramaiah govt, such internal conflicts are harmful to the party. Hence, the high command must intervene and expel Yatnal from the party.
Meanwhile, Vijayendra said the party high command has seized Yatnal's issue, and they will decide on what action to take.