A nursing college owner flashes photographs of Karnataka legislator Renukacharya kissing her and accuses him of sexual exploitation
A sex scandal involving a party legislator, infighting, fear of split and distinct possibility of coalition partner Janata Dal (Secular) refusing to transfer power are giving the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders sleepless nights ahead of an important assembly bypoll.
The June 2 bypoll in Ullal assembly constituency in coastal Dakshina Kannada district has now become critical for two important personalities in the state BJP, its president and Member of Parliament D V Sadananda Gowda, and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.
Since Sadananda Gowda hails from Dakshina Kannada district and it is the first poll BJP is facing after coming to power as part of coalition in Karnataka, the Ullal contest was prestigious for the party.
Now with BJP accusing its coalition partner of trying to split the party, the bypoll outcome has become that much more critical for both Sadananda Gowda and Yedyurappa, the chief minister-in-waiting. Yediyurappa is the star campaigner for BJP which had made his baiter and party national general secretary H N Ananth Kumar stay away from campaigning all these days.
He came to Ullal on Tuesday to join the campaign. Official reason for Ananth Kumar’s non-participation so far is that he was pre-occupied with national party matters.
Another reason for the heartburn among several BJP leaders is the prominence given in the Ullal campaign to a party’s woman Member of the Legislative Council (upper house) Shobha Karandlage, a close associate of Yediyurappa. The party went through stormy days some months back when there was a move to induct Shobha into the state ministry.
Adding steam to the intra-party squabbles is the sex scandal involving BJP Member of the Legislative Assembly (lower house) M P Renukacharya and a nurse P V Jayalakshmi. Renukacharya is said to be a staunch supporter of Yediyurappa.
The nurse has accused Renukacharya of sexually harassing and exploiting her and even threatening to eliminate her. The MLA from Honnali constituency in Davangere district, which was once famous for its cotton mills, has denied the charges. However both have been releasing intimate pictures of the two to the media, he surreptiously and she openly.
Jayalakshmi recently sent a CD of more pictures of her and Renukacharya to former BJP president L K Advani.
Reluctant to act against Renukacharya because of his proximity to Yediyurappa and the effect it could have on the Ullal bypoll, the BJP has merely asked him to stay away from party activities and told him resign from the position of a chairman of KEONICS, a state public sector enterprise dealing with electornics development. As soon as the scandal broke out, Renukacharya offered to quit the assembly as well as the KEONICS post.
The BJP’s coalition partner JD-S is fully exploiting these developments. The party has begun to say that its man H D Kumaraswamy will not step down from the chief minister’s post to make way for the BJP man.
The two parties came to power in February last year on the understanding they will split the 40 months remaining for the life of the assembly between them. JD-S was to lead the government for the first 20 months followed by the BJP for the remaining period. Under that understanding, Kumaraswamy has to hand over the chief ministership to BJP in the first week of October.
First Labour Minister Iqbal Ansari of JD-S told an election rally in Ullal last week there is no question of transfer of power to the BJP. It was thought that Ansari made the statement to woo the substantial Muslim electorate in the communally sensitive constituency. But he insisted that it was not an off-the-cuff remark but well thought over statement.
Ansari made matters worse for the BJP, stating later that a large number of BJP legislators, around 30 of the 80 odd in the 224-member assembly, are in favour of Kumaraswamy continuing as chief minister. This got the goat of Sadananda Gowda who has challenged Ansari to name the 30 legislators. He fears an attempt to split the BJP.
Kumaraswamy is only strengthening the view that his party is seriously making moves to retain the chief ministership in view of BJP’s difficulties. He chose his weekend visit to Chamarajnagar district, a place said to be jinxed as previous chief ministers who visited the place lost power soon, to proclaim that he knows how to retain power. Kumaraswamy told the Chamarajnagar people, who have waited for the visit of a chief minister for the last 17 years, that if it is in his destiny he will continue in the position – and visit them again soon as head of the government.
Of course, a few hours later, Kumaraswamy attempted to play down his loaded remarks saying he only meant that JD-S and BJP know how to retain power.
The Renukacharya-Jayalakshmi episode and JD-S manoeuvers have made a win by a large majority in Ullal a must for the BJP to retain some bargaining power with the coalition partner. A defeat may snuff out not only the chance to lead a government in the South for the first time but may hasten a split in the party.
Ullal has been a Congress stronghold for many years now while the BJP was victorious only once, in 1994. The Congress is trying to retain the seat by nominating U T Khader whose father U T Fareed held the seat. Fareed’s death has necessitated the bypoll. BJP has fielded Ramachandra Uchil who lost to Fareed in 2004. JDS has put up a local businessman Aboobacker Natekal.
Realising that stakes are getting higher for the three main parties involved in the Ullal fight, election officials have ordered all outsiders out of the constituency after 5 p.m. of May 31 when the campaign ends. Only voters would be allowed to remain in the constituency and not political leaders or workers, the poll officials said, adding this measure is to ensure free and fair poll.
