Bangalore, Oct 16 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party Tuesday expelled from the party former central minister and former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa loyalist V. Dhananjaya Kumar for his attacks on the party central leadership and Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar.
The expulsion of Dhananjaya Kumar for six years is the first major disciplinary action the BJP has taken against a Yeddyurappa follower after the former chief minister announced early this month that he will leave the party in December to launch a party.
Dhananjaya Kumar, who was a junior minister in the Atal Behari Vajpayee government, was highly critical of Shettar, the BJP's third chief minister in four years in the state, over the handling of the Cauvery water row.
He had said that Shettar had holed himself up in his official residence when the entire state was agitating against Cauvery water release to Tamil Nadu.
Dhananjaya Kumar had early this month lost his job as Karnataka government's special representative in New Delhi as he had aligned with Yeddyurappa who has been slamming party central leaders for not reinstating him or giving him state party chief's post.
Karnataka BJP general secretary Raghunathrao Malkapure said in his order, released to the media here, that the expulsion was with immediate effect.
Earlier Tuesday, Kumar asked at a press meet why the party was not taking any action against Bangalore South Lok Sabha member and party general secretary H.N. Ananth Kumar even though he was allegedly involved in HUDCO (Housing and Urban Development Corporation) scam and was linked to corporate lobbyist Niira Radia.
Ananth Kumar was a cabinet minister in the Vajpayee government and the HUDCO scam is said to have taken place when he handled the urban development portfolio.
