Bangalore: BJP expels Dhananjaya Kumar for six years

Bangalore, 16 Oct 2012, (PTI): Sending a tough message to rebel BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa, the party today expelled his loyalist and former union minister V Dhananjaya Kumar for six years from the organisation.

 

The expulsion of Kumar, recently eased out as Karnataka’s Special Representative in Delhi, a post with cabinet rank status, came within hours after he questioned the state leadership for issuing him a show cause notice.

 

BJP had slapped the notice on Kumar in the wake of his outbursts against Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar over his handling of the Cauvery issue.

 

BJP General Secretary Raghunathrao Malkapure, who issued the order, said the expulsion was with immediate effect.

 

"In your reply, you have defended your statements and actions. In the wake of your not expressing any regret or tendering an apology, you have been expelled from the primary membership of the party for six years," he said.

 

Earlier, Kumar had released a four-page reply to the October 6 show cause notice at a press conference and slammed the party for targetting Yeddyurappa’s loyalists.

 

In his reply, he said the party was initiating disciplinary action against him because he was a supporter of Yeddyurappa. "Is the party trying to send a message that nobody should protest against injustice. Is this the ideology of BJP?"

 

A former Lok Sabha MP from Mangalore, he also questioned why similar action was not taken against BJP national General Secretary H N Anantkumar after he faced charges in the alleged HUDCO scam and his name was linked to lobbyist Nira Radia.

 

Kumar also wanted to know why BJP had not acted against state unit President and Deputy Chief Minister K S Eswarappa for his statements that ’dented’ BJP’s image and also against RSS leader Santosh, who faced several allegations.

 

Last week, Yeddyurappa, who has been repeatedly criticising the BJP central leadership,had warned the Jagadish Shettar headed government would not survive if disciplinary action was taken against his loyalists.

 

The state unit had ignored the threat and struck at Kumar, a known loyalist of Yeddyurappa who has declared he would float his own party in December and quit BJP.