Anti-Kharge faction band together in BJP against Congress stalwart

BENGALURU: Over the last year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have slowly but surely built a "coalition" of senior Congress leaders who can take on the grand old party stalwart Mallikarjun Kharge at the 2019 Lok Sabha elections .


While the party poached upon disgruntled Congress Hyderabad-Karnataka leaders like Malikaya Guttedar and Baburao Chinchansoor before the 2018 assembly polls, after state elections the party has now managed to bring Chinchodi MLA Umesh Jadhav and senior Congressman AN Malakareddy to their party fold.

Jadhav is the official candidate from Kalaburgi against Mallikarjun Kharge.

On Friday, Malakareddy joined the BJP in the presence of the party state president BS Yeddyurappa and blamed Mallikarjun Kharge politics as disastrous for the state.

"In Hyderabad-Karnataka it had become an unsaid rule that all decisions taken in the region will be on the premise of Mallikarjun Kharge giving his assent to it. However, over the last few years, his infatuation with his family and bringing his son to become a minister and make him district in-charge has been disastrous. Imagine, senior leaders like me and others who have joined the BJP having to abide by that boy's decisions?" said Malakareddy.

The six-time MLA and two-time minister said his political career was built in the neighbouring district of Yadgir.

Reacting to this social welfare minister Priyank Kharge dismissed the entire allegation.

"These words coming from a senior leader like Malakareddy is unnecessary. He is a six-time MLA and two-time minister. Did he not have the access to senior party leadership to air his grouse? These are all excuses to justify them quitting the party and unfortunately I have been made the scapegoat," he said.