BS Yediyurappa introduced his retirement from electoral politics.
Bengaluru:
The BJP’s Karnataka stalwart BS Yediyurappa has mentioned he will not return on his resolution to give up electoral politics forward of the carefully watched state elections later this yr, including that the transfer was totally his name, and he was not pressured.
“I advised folks of Karnataka, I’m not retiring from politics. I’m not drained, I’ll marketing campaign and produce BJP to energy. I’ll tour the state. BJP will get an absolute majority… Quitting electoral politics was my resolution, no person pressured me. I’ll persuade folks why I took this resolution,” he mentioned in an unique interview with NDTV.
“I resigned from the Chief Minister’s put up to accommodate [Basavaraj] Bommai. My absence in electoral politics is a problem, and the BJP should face these challenges. I will not return on my resolution of not contesting polls,” the Lingayat strongman mentioned.
He additionally spoke critically of BJP state president Nalin Kateel’s push to pit 18th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan and Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar, seen as a tactic to polarise voters.
“I do not agree with the narrative on Tipu vs Savarkar. It’s not Tipu vs Savarkar, however BJP’s insurance policies and schemes would be the narrative,” he mentioned.
The 79-year-old additionally attacked the Congress, saying, “Congress’s DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah are corrupt leaders. Their allegations of corruption in opposition to the BJP are null.”
Earlier this week, in what was seen as his “farewell speech” within the Karnataka meeting of which he was a member for many years, Mr Yediyurappa mentioned he would try in direction of constructing the celebration and produce it to energy “until his final breath”.
The chief who towers in the one southern state dominated by the BJP had introduced in July final yr that he won’t be contesting the meeting polls, and will likely be vacating his Shikaripura Assembly seat, from the place his youthful son and the celebration’s state Vice-President BY Vijayendra will likely be contesting if the celebration management agrees.
The veteran chief, who started his electoral politics as ‘Purasabha’ president in Shikaripura in Shivamogga district, was first elected to the Assembly from Shikaripura in 1983 and went on to win eight instances from there.
Mr Yediyurappa resigned as Chief Minister on July 26, 2021, paving the best way for Mr Bommai to take over. Age was seen as a major issue for his exit from the highest job, with the BJP’s intermittently-enforced rule of holding out these above 75 years from elected places of work.
It was additionally seen as a step by the BJP’s prime leaders to make manner for recent management forward of the meeting polls.