New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has recalled G.V.Rajesh, the general secretary (organisation) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka, in the middle of an outpouring of dissent within the state unit.
Rajesh was made the organisational general secretary in July 2022 but removed abruptly from his role Sunday. The news of his abrupt removal lends to talks of growing differences within the party and its ideological parent.
On his part, Rajesh attributed his stepping down from the post as part of the larger “organisational changes” within the party.
While the state BJP has maintained that it was Sangh’s decision to recall Rajesh, party leaders have attributed reasons including his non-performance, incompatibility with senior office bearers, and inability to contain dissent.
“He is the Sangh’s representative and recalling him is a decision taken by them and may have given him responsibilities elsewhere. The BJP has no say in this,” Radha Mogan Agarwal, the BJP national general secretary in charge of Karnataka, told ThePrint.
Though Rajesh held an important position, a section of BJP leaders say he was unable to perform in his role within the party nor contain outpouring of dissent. “He (Rajesh) was unable to achieve the intentions with which he came into the party. But the decision to take back was that of the Sangh,” said another party leader.
While the party is yet to find a replacement for Rajesh, there are indications of further shakeup within the state BJP post the results of the Lok Sabha elections are declared.
“Once in three years there are changes likely in the organisational set up. In some cases, it has happened and it hasn’t in some. After Vijayendra became the president, all district presidents have been changed but not all their team members have changed. So, after 4 June, there are changes likely,” said a senior leader.
Simmering dissent within the Karnataka unit has threatened to boil over in recent months, with open rebellion against B.S.Yediyurappa and his family allegedly tightening its grip over the party.
K.S.Eshwarappa, D.V.Sadananda Gowda among other leaders have hinted at a possible ‘cleansing or purification’ exercise post the June 4 results.
“Whoever stands with Yediyurappa are given tickets and those who don’t are denied opportunities,” Eshwarappa told reporters Tuesday. He added that Yediyurappa was treating the party and efforts of the as his “personal property” and that this was the reason for its decline in Karnataka.
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Vijayendra in eye of storm
Much of the anger is against Yediyurappa’s younger son B.Y.Vijayendra, the state BJP president, and his working style that has been a constant source of friction within the ranks.
One senior BJP leader said that it was not Rajesh’s job to contain dissent. “There are leaders with 35-40 years experience. Will these dissenters listen to Rajesh?” the leader asked.
Rajesh himself said that dissent was “always there” and that it was the job of “big leaders” to resolve the problems.
Rajesh had a “good working relationship” with Vijayendra, party leaders say.
But some hint at differences while allotting tickets during the Lok Sabha elections. Yediyurappa was accused of cornering tickets for his family members and loyalists.
More importantly, party leaders say that Yediyurappa made sure that aspirants considered close to B.L.Santosh, the national general secretary (organisation), were denied candidature. This includes Pratap Simha, Nalin Kumar Kateel and Sadananda Gowda among others.
There are indications that Vijayendra and Rajesh had differences of opinion on the shortlisting of aspirants for the Uttara Kannada seat. According to multiple office bearers of state and Uttara Kannada district, there were multiple candidates in the fray from the coastal seat which was eventually given to Vishveswara Hegde Kageri, the former assembly speaker with strong links to the Sangh.
“There were many aspirants for the Uttara Kannada seat which included the sitting MP, Ananthkumar Hegde, Chakravarti Sulibele, Hariprakash Konemane, Kageri and others. But we are not aware of how the final list was sent to Delhi,” said one senior leader from the coastal district.
The BJP decided to replace Hegde and replaced him with Kageri who had lost in the 2023 Karnataka election.
There are reports of similar differences in other seats that fueled the rift. One member of Vijayendra’s office referred to an article in a Bengaluru-based Kannada newspaper about an alleged obscene video on Rajesh, but did not confirm or deny the news.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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