Mysore, April 3: “I committed the worst form of sin in my life by joining the BJP. It is a blunder I ought not to have committed. Hence, I am staging repentance dharna to atone for my sin,” former minister H. Vishwanath said, before the commencement of the repentance dharna at Mysore on Monday.
Vishwanath who had been in Congress for several decades joined the BJP in 2019 along with 17 “Bombay Boys” who brought down the Congress-JDS coalition government in 2019. He was a part of the entourage which camped in Mumbai during the fall of the coalition government. The BJP made him MLC but could not make him the minister due to legal and technical reasons.
The very vocal former minister was highly critical of the BJP in his speech at the place of dharna. “The BJP leadership is insensitive to its own workers. They have no moral and ethical values. They are rank opportunists who do not leave a single opportunity to further their ends,” Vishwanath said.
Describing the BJP leaders as “time-servers and self-seekers and highly unscrupulous, Vishwanath said, “The BJP leaders are totally undependable. They are past-masters in the art of use and throw tactic. I deeply regret for having committed the mistake of joining the BJP and bringing the BJP government in state.”
Vishwanath, who had served as Minister for Primary Education in the cabinet headed by S. M. Krishna, is a voracious reader and prolific writer. “I will campaign against the BJP in the forthcoming Assembly elections. I will expose the double-standards and hypocricy of the BJP leadership It is going to be a tell-all story,” the former minister added. He has since rejoined the Congress.
He claimed that there are several others in BJP who agree with his sentiment and are waiting for an opportune moment to quit the saffron party.
“In fact, the BJP is delaying the announcement of its candidates for the fear of some of these strong leaders quitting the party. According to my information, the BJP will announce the list of candidates at the last minute to prevent some leaders from quitting the party,” Vishwanath claimed.
EOM.
