Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Karnataka State President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra said on Friday, 26 June that internal differences within the party over the recent Karnataka Legislative Council cross-voting episode would be resolved shortly, asserting that his 'time is good' and that he had not acted improperly. His remarks came amid mounting scrutiny over his leadership following allegations that he had colluded with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar of the ruling Indian National Congress (Congress).

Vijayendra's Defence of His Leadership

Speaking to reporters after visiting the Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala pilgrimage centre in Mangaluru, Vijayendra pushed back firmly against suggestions of internal dissent. He said he had been closely monitoring developments within the party for the past two-and-a-half years and was confident in his standing.

'My time is good. I have been observing everything for the last two-and-a-half years and I know what is happening. If I cannot take the senior leaders into confidence, then I am unfit to be the State President. I have not committed any wrongdoing, nor is there any need to disrespect senior leaders. The party's national leadership has entrusted me with this responsibility, and everything will be resolved in the coming days,' he said.

Vijayendra also clarified that his role as State president was organisational, not aspirational. 'I have been made the State President to strengthen the party organisation, not to become the next Chief Minister. I am working as part of a team. If maintaining coordination is considered a crime, then that is my only offence,' he stated.

On the Cross-Voting Controversy

On the specific question of cross-voting in the Karnataka Legislative Council elections, Vijayendra said he could not confirm whether Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had directly orchestrated the episode, but maintained that BJP legislators had not acted on their own volition. 'I do not know whether D.K. Shivakumar had any role in the cross-voting or not. However, none of our MLAs cross-voted voluntarily. Whoever may have conspired behind it, the truth will come out,' he said. In a notably lighter remark, he described Shivakumar as a 'multi-talented Chief Minister' who makes everyone feel at home — a comment widely read as a veiled jab at the Congress leader's political networking skills.

BJP's Stand on Bidadi Township and Gruha Lakshmi

Vijayendra used the occasion to restate the BJP's opposition to the proposed Bidadi Integrated Township Project, pledging continued agitation in support of farmers facing displacement. 'The BJP will not allow farmers to be uprooted from their lands. We will announce our future course of protest in Bengaluru,' he said.

He also trained his sights on the state government's flagship Gruha Lakshmi welfare scheme, citing a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report that allegedly flagged financial irregularities. 'The CAG report has pointed out irregularities in the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. Crores of rupees of public money are being spent on Guarantee Implementation Committees from the State level to the district level. If such irregularities have taken place, what were these committees doing?' he alleged, calling for the removal of Guarantee Committee chairpersons.

Electoral Rolls and Drought Concerns

On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Vijayendra accused the Congress of spreading misinformation and said the BJP had assigned party workers to run awareness campaigns across every Assembly constituency in the state.

Expressing concern over worsening drought-like conditions across Karnataka, he said he had offered prayers at Dharmasthala for timely rainfall and better crop prices for farmers. 'There is a severe drought-like situation in the State. I prayed that the State receives adequate rainfall, farmers' lives improve, and they receive scientific and remunerative prices for their crops,' he said.

The cross-voting row and its fallout on BJP's internal cohesion are expected to remain a flashpoint as the party prepares its next steps, with Vijayendra indicating a formal announcement on the Bidadi agitation from Bengaluru in the coming days.