Karnataka BJP issues notice to former MLA Renukacharya for 'anti-party' remarks

Karnataka BJP on Thursday issued notice to former MLA M P Renukacharya for his "anti-party" remarks. He has been given one week's time to give a written reply to the show cause notice issued by the state disciplinary committee of the party. Renukacharya on Thursday said the party's state president Nalin Kumar Kateel should have resigned from the post, taking moral responsibility for the Assembly poll debacle.

Targeting party leaders without taking any names, the former minister alleged that the BJP office has been turned into a "corporate office", and urged them to introspect and work towards strengthening the party and boosting the morale of the workers for the Lok Sabha elections and the zilla and taluk panchayat polls, among others.

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In the notice to Renukacharya, committee president Lingaraj Patil said, "Despite several attempts to make you understand, you have repeatedly made statements against the state and central leaders before the media, which has caused embarrassment to the party. The state disciplinary committee, taking serious note of it, is issuing you this show cause notice, asking why disciplinary action should not be taken."

"You are hereby asked to give a written response within one week after receiving this notice," it said. Speaking to reporters earlier today, Renukacharya, who represented the Honnali segment in the previous Assembly, alleged that party workers are being threatened and asked some leaders -- without taking any names -- to shed their dictatorial attitude.

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Targeting the state BJP leaders, he said, "When Congress was announcing poll guarantees much before the elections, our leaders were sleeping, and the party manifesto which came very late, did not even reach the people." Candidates to some seats were announced at the last moment, he added, "which also led to the loss".

State President Kateel and other leaders travelled across the state but failed to convert public response into votes, he complained. Questioning why Yediyurappa was made to step down as chief minister, Renukacharya said his removal from the CM post contributed to the party's defeat in the Assembly election. He also pointed out that denial of tickets to some senior leaders led to the situation, and questioned, "Were they denied tickets to make way for your (leaders) chelas (followers)?"