Former Union minister and expelled BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal was booked twice in less than a week for alleged provocative speeches targeting a minority community in Karnataka.
In the first case, the Maddur town police booked Yatnal after his speech during a mass Ganesha idol immersion event in Maddur town in the Mandya district on September 10. The event followed an alleged stone pelting incident during a Ganesha idol procession on September 7. Yatnal, MP Pratap Sinha and MLC C T Ravi were among the several BJP leaders who attended the mass idol immersion event in Maddur.
The Bijapur City MLA said he intended to form a new political party called the ‘Karnataka Hindu Party’ with a bulldozer as its symbol.
This case against Yatnal in Maddur followed a similar FIR against Ravi for his controversial remarks at the same event.
On September 13, while participating in a Ganesha idol immersion in Tumakuru, Yatnal allegedly made another provocative speech.
The Tumakuru town police filed a suo motu case after Yatnal said during his speech that the “Karnataka government means Tipu Sultan government”. He allegedly said only members of a minority community are getting contracts, reservations, and development.
In March, the BJP expelled Yatnal for six years. His recent expulsion, the third in around 15 years, followed his public criticism of senior BJP leaders B S Yediyurappa and Vijayendra, which he continued despite the party’s central disciplinary committee serving two notices to him.
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Both his previous expulsions, in 2010 for berating the BJP state unit and in 2015 for contesting MLC elections as a rebel candidate, lasted around three years, with him rejoining the party in 2013 and 2018, respectively.