Bengaluru: Janata Dal (Secular) legislators Manappa Vajjal from Lingasuguru and Dr. Shivaraj Patil from Raichur on Thursday joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here in the presence of BJP State president B S Yeddyurappa, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar and Union Minister for Railways and Coal Piyush Goyal.
The two MLAs earlier in the day quit from their primary membership of JD(S) and also submitted their resignation to Assembly membership to Speaker KB Koliwad.
“We are compelled to quit JD(S) as the party leadership has totally neglected them and trying to foist others in their respective constituencies in the coming Assembly election,’’ the former JD(S) legislators said.
With this, the number of JD(S) MLAs quitting the party has been increased to nine. It may be recalled that the party has already severed its ties with rebel MLAs– Zameer Ahmed Khan, Chaluvaraya Swamy, Iqbal Ansari, Balakrishna, Ramesh Bandisiddegowda, Bheema Nayak and Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, who voted against party’s official candidate and supported Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls.
“This is just the beginning. Our Parivartan Yatra is getting huge response from the people all over the state. Many Congress and JD(S) MLAs are eager to join BJP. They will soon join us,” Yeddyurappa said.
Referring to recent entry of Samajwadi Party MLA from Chennapatna CP Yogeshwar into BJP, Yeddyrurappa said his induction has boosted BJP’s strength in Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan and Chamarajnagar districts.
No tie-up with JD(S)
Union Minister for Railways and Coal Piyush Goyal, who is also the BJP’s election in-charge in the state, denied the reports of an alliance between BJP and JD(S) ahead of the Assembly election. “There is no question of any alliance or understanding with JD(S) as BJP on its own strength is set to win 150 seats,” Goyal said.
On meeting former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda at the latter’s residence in Delhi, Goyal said, “I met Gowda, a former Prime Minister and a much elder leader as a mark of respect when he (Gowda) wanted to meet me to discuss about some pending railway projects of the state. It is not the culture of India to make our elders come to us. So, respecting his stature and age I went to his home. I will do the same to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, if he wants to meet me,” Goyal said.
Yeddyurappa criticizes Siddaramaiah
Blaming Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for not utilizing not even 50 per cent of the budgetary allocation, Yeddyurappa said Siddaramaiah has been indulging in daylight robbery in collusion with contractors’ lobby.
Yeddyurappa said Siddaramaiah has no mandate to present the next budget as the term of his government is set to end in three months. “There is no provision for presenting a full-fledged budget. Siddaramaiah should present a vote on account,” he said.
