S. A. Hemanth
Bengaluru, April 14: “I am shocked to see the BJP succumbing to the threats of Ramesh Jharkiholi,” Lakshman Savadi – who quit BJP and joined Congress – said while speaking to The Newz Peg here minutes after joining the Grand Old Party (GoP) here on Friday.
Savadi said the issue is not about giving or denying ticket but two real issues are that the party gave in to the threats of Ramesh Jharkiholi and secondly, the party leadership “never had that courtesy” to give prior information about its thinking.
“This attitude of taking workers for granted is very bad. It hurts the workers who have been toiling hard for the party. The party ought to have sat with me and others and convince about the need to give ticket to the ‘turncoat’ I may have accepted or may not have accepted but there was no effort on the part of the organization. I was taken for granted. This is what has hurt me,” Lakshman Savadi said with a heavy heart.
According to Savadi, his decision to join Congress was to teach BJP a life-time lesson. “With utmost modesty and with humbleness, let me tell you that the people want me as MLA. I am going to win. I want to teach a lesson to the BJP,” Savadi said.
He denied of having been in touch of the Congress for a very long time and hence he was an opportunist, as described by the BJP. “It’s all spontaneous. I never had an inkling that the party is going to choose Mahesh Kumtahalli. I know Ramesh Jharkiholi had been making noises about it but I thought the BJP will not succumb to such threats. But my worst fears have come true,” Savadi explained.
When his attention was drawn to the BJP’s statement that Savadi left the Congress even “after he was made MLC and offered the post of Deputy Chief Minister”, Savadi said, “Yes. I was made MLC and DCM. But at the same time I have contributed my life time for the party. Two and a half decades is not a small time. My main grouse is that the party insulted me, humiliated me by taking me for granted”
EOM.
