2018 game plan: Ambitious Eshwarappa holds meeting with Dalit, OBC?leaders

Bengaluru, Aug 14: Senior BJP?leader K?S?Eshwarappa, who recently had created a storm by trying to revive the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade of the Kuruba community, has now held a meeting with Dalit and OBC?leaders in the city.

The move is seen as a game plan by Eshwarappa to emerge as an Ahinda leader (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and dalits) to consolidate his position in the party ahead of 2018 Assembly polls in Karnataka. He is indirectly challenging the style of functioning of state BJP?president B?S?Yeddyurappa.

On Saturday, he went a step further and held a meeting with leaders of the brigade at his office in the Vidhana Soudha. It was held to coincide with the executive committee meeting of the party's Bengaluru urban unit. A full-fledged office is provided to Eshwarappa in the Vidhana Soudha in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition of the Legislative Council. He was not an invitee for the party's meeting.

Eshwarappa said OBC?and dalit leaders were leaning towards the BJP and he was only providing them a platform to express their views.

“The Congress had considered OBC and dalits as their ancestral property and used them as its vote bank,” Eshwarappa told reporters. However, he said he was not going to use the BJP banner for holding Ahinda meetings.

“I cannot use the party banner because religious leaders will hesitate to associate with a political party. Not less than 35 seers are supporting my efforts. Finally, my exercise will help the BJP,” he added.

He claimed that those leaders who had supported Siddaramaiah to emerge as an Ahinda leader were now supporting him.

Asked whether he was trying to challenge the leadership of Yeddyurappa, Eshwarappa said, “Yeddyurappa is our leader. I have no intention of emerging as a rebel leader.” He said he would attend the core committee meeting convened by Yeddyurappa on August 16.

The Sangolli Rayanna Brigade is planning to launch an enrolment drive soon and hold conventions across the state.