Don't know why he returned to BJP: Shivakumar on Shettar exit

Dealing a blow to the ruling party in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Shettar, a prominent Lingayat leader, returned to the saffron fold earlier on Thursday.

Shettar severed ties with the BJP ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls last year. The move had enabled the Congress to eat into the BJP's Lingayat vote share.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Deputy CM Shivakumar said, "Yesterday, Shettar informed me that he was being urged by the leaders and workers of his constituency to return to the BJP. He told me that he owes his political resurgence to the Congress and there was no question of him returning to the BJP."

"Trusting him on his word, I told media persons in Mysuru that he wasn't going back to the BJP. Now, I came to learn from media reports that he officially joined the BJP at its New Delhi office," Shivakumar added.

"I don't know why Shettar joined the BJP today and if any pressure was brought to bear on him to take that decision," he added.

"As a senior leader, the Congress treated him with great respect. Recently, Shettar made many statements against the BJP on various issues, including the Ram Mandir. The media itself is running reports that he broke the trust that we reposed in him. Officials informed that he called up the chairman of the Legislative Council, saying that he would send his resignation (from the Congress) by fax. We can't say if he had to take the decision under duress. I will issue a proper response after seeing his statement," Shivakumar said.

On Shettar saying that he rejoined the BJP in the larger interest of the country, Shivakumar responded, "Why didn't he decide to stay on in the BJP even after being denied a ticket (for Assembly polls)? Did the Congress not do justice to the country's interests when it respectfully nominated him as a member of the Legislative Council?"

Asked if Shettar was lured back to the saffron fold, the deputy CM said, "It's the BJP that should come clean on that. The Congress treated him with great respect."

Claiming that he had not yet received Shettar's resignation letter, the Congress leader denied that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had anything to do with Shettar's return to the BJP.

"The Sangh does its work and politicians do theirs. What has Sangh got to do with this? If he belonged to the Sangh Parivar, would he have left the BJP and joined the Congress? Shettar is a politician, why should he be seen as a member of the Sangh?" Shivakumar said. (ANI)