The ‘ghar wapsi’ of former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, although being termed as a “shocker” to the Congress, does not seem to be so if the local leaders in North Karnataka are to be believed.
Mr. Shettar, who switched over to the Congress and lost bitterly in the last Assembly election, has not been active in the party organisation, say insiders. Although Mr. Shettar was rewarded with the position of member of Legislative Council, he was never seen in the party’s activities in the last couple of months he has been with the Congress.
It is true that for a man who has been with the saffron party close to five decades, it is difficult to get accustomed to the Congress culture. But the local leaders feel that he “made no honest efforts” to get acclimatised to the new environment despite the party embracing him and rewarding him.
“Ever since he joined the Congress, he came to the party office only once. His presence hardly made any difference to the party neither will his exit,” said president of Hubballi Dharwad Urban District Unit Altaf Halwoor.
A few other leaders, who switched over to the Congress in the run-up to the last election, do not have a sympathetic view about Mr. Shettar’s decision. “He spoke so much about self-respect before the elections and now suddenly has done a U-turn probably because he got a better offer from his old party. By doing so, he has lost whatever little respect he had with his sympathisers,” a senior Congress leader told on condition of anonymity.
Though Mr. Shettar had repeatedly spoken about local leaders misleading the party high command before leaving the party, it appeared like they had little role and the same seems to be true with his re-entry also.
No role of local leaders
Even as efforts were on to bring Mr. Shettar back to the BJP, MLA of Hubballi-Dharwad Central Constituency Mahesh Tenginakai had categorically stated that none of the local leaders, including himself and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Arvind Bellad, had approached Mr. Shettar in this regard.
Although Mr. Tenginakai and others will now be forced to toe the party line, his statement is indicative of the tussle it may lead to, locally.
