Adding to BJP’s woes, Sriramulu expresses pain over party blaming him for Sandur bypoll defeat

The woes of the BJP, which is gripped by internal tussle, appears to be only growing as former Minister and the party’s Scheduled Tribe face B. Sriramulu publicly expressed pain over the party blaming him for the defeat in the recent Assembly bypoll from Sandur. 

The woes of the BJP, which is gripped by internal tussle, appears to be only growing as former Minister and the party’s Scheduled Tribe face B. Sriramulu publicly expressed pain over the party blaming him for the defeat in the recent Assembly bypoll from Sandur. 

Mr. Sriramulu told a private TV channel on Wednesday that the bypoll issue came up at the party’s State core committee meeting in Bengaluru on Tuesday where BJP national general secretary and State in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal blamed him for the party’s defeat in Sandur. 

“I was very much pained by this as our State president B.Y. Vijayendra did not come to my defence though he was aware of all the developments and Mr. Agarwal would have only got the secondary reports as he is from north India. Hence, I told the meeting that I am ready to quit the party if it feels that I am useless and I am responsible for the Sandur defeat,” Mr. Sriramulu said, recalling the incident. 

In the same breath he added that he was in no mood to quit the party and that he made the remark in anguish. “The BJP central leaders and a large number of State leaders as well as the RSS have fully supported me and I am confident that they will stand by me now too,” he said. 

However, he squarely blamed his one-time close friend and mining baron G. Janardhana Reddy for the misunderstanding and accused him of carrying tales against him to the leaders. Mr. Sriramulu repeatedly maintained that the episode had hurt him and even termed it as a “black spot” in his political career. 

The episode that further demonstrates the “trust deficit” among some leaders has unfolded in the core committee meeting, which among other things, focused on quelling rebellion by taking everyone into confidence. 

Meanwhile, there was no sign of internal tussle in the party ending even after the core committee meeting as some of the rebel leaders, including MLA B.P. Harish, lashed out at Mr. Vijayendra in Davangere on Wednesday.