In a post on X, Yatnal wrote Wednesday that the party expelled him for speaking against dynasty politics and corruption, seeking reforms within the party and removal of one-upmanship & requesting to develop North Karnataka.
“The party has rewarded me for ‘Calling a Spade, a Spade’…” he added.
The party has expelled me for 6 years for speaking against dynasty politics, corruption, reforms within the party, remove one man upmanship & request to develop North Karnataka.
The party has rewarded me for ‘Calling a Spade, a Spade’
Certain vested interests have played their…
— Basanagouda R Patil (Yatnal) (@BasanagoudaBJP) March 26, 2025
His removal, Yatnal further wrote, would not stop his fight against corruption and family politics, for development of north Karnataka and Hindutva.
The action taken against the Karnataka MLA is also likely to serve as a warning to other leaders of the party across the country, who have been served show cause notices in just the past week for indiscipline or engaging in anti-party activities.
On Tuesday, five Karnataka leaders were served notices by the party’s central disciplinary committee. These included at least two loyalists of Yediyurappa, and another who identified with the Yatnal camp—a warning to the two main warring factions of the BJP in the state.
Former minister Katta Subramanya Naidu and M.P. Renukacharya—staunch supporters of Yediyurappa and Vijayendra—and B.P. Harish, who has backed Yatnal in the past, were given the notices.
“I would have been seen as good, if I had criticised Yediyurappa and the party. Since I defended them, I have been given a notice. I will continue to defend them and speak out against anyone who speaks ill against the state leadership and the party,” Renukacharya told reporters Wednesday.
He added that with the show cause notice, the party has given him a “platform” to call out those attacking Yediyurappa’s family and fuelling factionalisation within the Karnataka unit.
Among the others who were served the notices were MLAs B.P. Harish, S.T. Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar, and former minister Katta Subramanya Naidu.
Before this, the BJP had served show cause notices to Haryana Minister Anil Vij, and Rajasthan Minister Kirodi Lal Meena, who had previously attempted to tender his resignation which was not accepted by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.
Over the past few weeks, there have been several instances of public outpouring of dissent against the party leadership in Karnataka, Rajasthan and other states.
Also Read: Madhya Pradesh BJP MLA gets show cause notice by own party for criticising Ujjain land acquisition
‘Unfortunate necessity’
The BJP was being criticised earlier for not taking action against Yatnal, who had been given notices twice in the last three months, despite which he continued to target the Yediyurappa family.
In a long post on X, Karnataka BJP chief Vijayendra wrote that action was taken against Yatnal after thorough deliberation, though it was an “unfortunate necessity”.
He added, “Despite the turbulent events of the past few days, I have chosen to uphold the values of sacrifice and dedication instilled in me by the values of our selfless organisation, never losing my patience & tolerance in the process. I consider this disciplinary action taken by the party leadership as an unfortunate development…”
The Bharatiya Janata Party, recognized as the world’s largest & most influential political organization, has grown into a towering tree, deeply rooted in the principles of discipline, dedication, and unwavering commitment to its core ideology. Inspired by the relentless efforts…
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) March 26, 2025
‘Notice itself is a form of action’
Even as several such notices have been served by the BJP to many leaders from
various states, the party has not been “proactively” taking any concrete action.
A senior party leader told ThePrint that at times, these notices serve as a reminder to the leaders that the party is keeping a watch on their activities. “It is largely for optics, and to ensure a balance is maintained, so that it doesn’t lead to any infighting between party functionaries,” the leader said.
In Karnataka, there were two main factions of the BJP so far—one led by Yediyurappa and son Vijayendra, and the other led by the family’s nemesis, Yatnal.
After Vijayendra’s elevation as state BJP president in November 2023, Yatnal intensified his attacks, openly calling for Vijayendra’s ouster and levelling allegations of corruption against Yediyurappa’s family, and the culture of “adjustment politics”.
There are others, like Ramesh Jarkiholi, Arvind Limbavali, Prathap Simha, Kumar Bangarappa, G.M. Siddeshwara, etc., who have spoken against the state leadership, with no action taken against them so far.
Apart from the faction war, MLAs like Somashekar and Hebbar have openly defied the party on various occasions. Both MLAs were among the 17 who had defected to the BJP from the Congress in 2019. But over the last two years, they have both identified themselves more with the Congress, issuing statements in favour of the Siddaramaiah-led government, and even voting for Congress’s Ajay Maken in the Rajya Sabha polls in February 2024, while Hebbar had abstained. No action has been taken against them so far.
BJP’s national spokesperson R.P. Singh told ThePrint that issuance of a show cause notice itself is a form of action.
“It also gives the person who has been issued a show cause notice an opportunity to give their reply, and if the reply is found satisfactory, the exercise ends there and if not, desired action is initiated. It is not necessary that the party makes that action public,” Singh said.
On 23 March, the Madhya Pradesh BJP chief issued a notice to Chintamani Malviya, party’s MLA from Ujjain’s Alok constituency, after he questioned the BJP government’s decision to permanently acquire land belonging to farmers for the Simhasta religious fair scheduled for 2028.
Similarly, Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary Sunday issued a show cause notice to Nand Kishore Gurjar, MLA from Ghaziabad’s Loni seat, for alleged indiscipline, following his outburst against the state government.
In February, the party’s Rajasthan unit president Madan Rathore had sent a notice to state cabinet minister Meena for “tarnishing” the government’s reputation by alleging in a public meeting that his phone was being tapped.
According to sources, Meena had replied to the notice, but no action followed from the party’s end. Meena, a tribal leader and veteran politician, had also submitted his resignation in June 2024, but the chief minister did not accept. Meena continues to raise issues related to the functioning of the administration in Rajasthan.
“The party issued a show cause notice to create the perception of discipline. Though it is widely known that the minister enjoys massive support from the Meena or tribal vote bank, and hence there is no alternative for the party, especially with local body elections just round the corner. It cannot afford to anger the tribal vote bank,” explained another leader.
A senior BJP leader said, “It is important to reinforce the fact that discipline is of critical importance for the party. It is a different matter when and whether any action is taken or not. The point is that BJP is a disciplined party, and whether it is a party worker or a minister, if the party feels that they have indulged in indiscipline, it is important to follow all rules and issue a notice. But at the same time, they should also be given an opportunity to explain themselves.”
In Haryana, the show cause notice to Minister Vij has managed to discipline him, even though the party did not take any action against him, according to Kushal Pal, associate professor of Political Science and principal of Government College, Ladwa. “Ever since Vij has been served with the notice, he hasn’t made any controversial statements,” Pal said.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
Also Read: Angry letter to a pending resignation, how the Bhajan Lal govt is facing heat from BJP MLAs
