BJP paying for reckless allotment of ticket: Rama Bhat

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Mangalore, Feb 9, 2012: The pornography watching incident inside the Legislative Assembly involving Mangalore North MLA J. Krishna Palemar has sullied the image of the party admit sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here.

Mr. Palemar became the first “tainted” BJP leader from Dakshina Kannada to quit as a Minister over a controversy and embarrass the BJP.

Responding to the episode, K. Rama Bhat, former BJP MLA from Puttur, without naming anyone said that the BJP was “now harvesting the crop seeds for which were sown in 2008 election.”

Mr. Bhat said the BJP issued ticket to many “winnable candidates” sidelining and ignoring good and able leaders who built the party from the grass-roots level. The party gave ticket to candidates who were not acceptable to party workers. The leadership ignored basic principles and aimed at only “winning the election by whatever means”.

“The party is facing its result now,” he said.

Mr. Bhat, who recently along with the former BJP State president B.B. Shivappa demanded expulsion of B.S. Yeddyurappa from the party, said: “Tuesday’s incident in the Assembly was shameful one. It is very unfortunate.”

However, president of the district unit of the party and former MLA K. Padmanabha Kottari told The Hindu that the party’s image had not been spoiled. He said that it was the question of reputation of individuals allegedly involved in the incident and not the party. Their reputation had been spoiled.

Mr. Kottari said the BJP wanted to know how the video clipping was transferred to the cellphone of Mr. Palemar. It was demanding an investigation into the matter.

One of the vice-presidents of the party’s State minority morcha Franklin Montero said that a thorough investigation involving cyber investigation experts should be conducted on how the clipping was passed on to the cellphone of Mr. Palemar. The investigation should find out the timing of the transfer of the clipping and who was operating it then.

Meanwhile, party sources said Mr. Sadananda Gowda was likely to take charge of the district. If not, Minister for Higher Education V.S. Acharya might be asked to take the charge. They were not sure who would be the Minister in-charge of Kodagu district.

Courtesy: The Hindu