BJP camps spar over appointment of dist presidents

Bengaluru: The appointment of presidents to 23 district units of the party has presented dissidents within BJP with more ammunition to attack BY Vijayendra, while the party president's supporters closed ranks, widening the rift within the saffron party.
A day after K Sudhakar, Chikkaballapur MP, accused Vijayendra of one upmanship and acting like a ‘dictator' and ‘emperor', senior MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Vijayendra's most vitriolic critic, said the state president's "true colours have been revealed".
Yatnal mocked the process of selecting the state president, sarcastically suggesting that Vijayendra might as well ask BJP general secretary Karnataka in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal raise his hand and declare him state president.
Yatnal also expressed dissatisfaction on the appointment of the district presidents, saying: "It's not possible to accept these presidents. We (anti-Vijayendra camp) will meet Friday."
However, Yelahanka MLA SR Vishwanath and BJP general secretary Preetham Gowda, came to Vijayendra's defence and publicly expressed support for him. Vishwanath, a critic of Sudhakar, rejected the MPs claims, asserting that BJP is a cadre-based party and is not governed by a "GPA (general power of attorney) system".
"Just because Sudhakar is MP, the whole of Chikkaballapur cannot be handed over to him," Gowda said. "He must change his way of speaking and work for the party. He is also a party worker like others."
Vishwanath, who had opposed Sudhakar's candidacy for the Chikkaballapur MP seat last year, also took aim at Sudhakar's track record, questioning his performance as health minister in the previous BJP govt. "If Sudhakar did a great job as minister, why was he defeated in the assembly election?" Vishwanath asked.
On Wednesday, Sudhakar had criticised the selection process of district presidents, claiming Vijayendra had influenced appointments. Vijayendra denied the charge Thursday, insisting his involvement in the process was limited to suggesting a list of names. "I did not give an opinion regarding district elections as state president," Vijayendra said, explaining that Ganesh Karnik, BJP state election officer, was entrusted with the responsibility and that he led a team of 13 observers. "The high command makes the final decision after receiving names," he said.
But Sudhakar continued to voice his dissatisfaction, insisting that the process of selecting district presidents needed reform.