Former Karnataka CM Shettar quits Cong to return to BJP

NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: Former Karnataka chief minister Jagdish Shettar, who had quit the BJP to join the Congress ahead of the state assembly polls last year, rejoined his old party on Thursday, reposing faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

Shettar cited his long association with the BJP, and said many of his well-wishers including party workers and leaders wanted him to be back.

The Lingayat leader joined the party in New Delhi in the presence of former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa, Union ministers Bhupender Yadav and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra and its media head Anil Baluni.

“I am rejoining the BJP. The BJP had earlier given me a lot of responsibilities. But I went to the Congress because of some other issues,” Shettar told reporters after his formal reinduction into the BJP.

“Even our leader Yediyurappa, state president Vijayendra and national leaders wanted me to come back to the BJP,” Shettar said, adding, “Accordingly, with our workers wanting, I am rejoining the BJP”. He said PM Modi has done “a lot of things” to strengthen the country. Under Modi’s leadership, India has emerged as “a very powerful country” in the world.

Welcoming him back to the party fold, senior BJP leader and Union minister Bhupender Yadav said Shettar wanted to return as the party is continuously carrying forward India’s development journey and “establishment of Ram Rajya” under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.

Karnataka Congress hit out at former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar for rejoining the BJP, terming his move as a “breach of trust” and questioning his conscience.

CM Siddaramaiah and state Congress President and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the Congress treated Shettar with respect, after he joined the party ahead of last year’s Assembly polls, while the BJP had humiliated him by denying him the ticket to contest the elections in May.

Shettar, who rejoined his old party on Thursday, cited his long association with the BJP, and said many of his well-wishers wanted him to back in the outfit. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said the Congress party, considering Shettar as a senior leader, treated him with respect.