The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, December 1, issued a show cause notice to its Karnataka MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal for his “continuing tirade against the state-level party leadership.” The notice, issued by the party’s Central Disciplinary Committee, gave the Bijapur City MLA ten days to respond.
Yatnal, a staunch critic of BJP parliamentary board member BS Yediyurappa and his son, state president BY Vijayendra, has been accused of defying party directives and making public statements contrary to the party’s official stance. Yatnal has accused Vijayendra of colluding with Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar and favouring leaders close to his father, BS Yediyurappa.
The notice cited repeated acts of indiscipline and alleged that his “false and veiled allegations” against state leaders constituted a serious breach of party discipline.
In its letter signed by member secretary Om Pathak, the disciplinary committee noted that despite prior show cause notices and assurances of better conduct, Yatnal’s actions had continued unabated.
The rift reflects a growing factional divide within the Karnataka BJP. Yatnal’s ‘rebel’ faction, which includes senior leaders like former MP Pratap Simha and ex-ministers Ramesh Jarkiholi, Arvind Limbavali, and Kumar Bangarappa, has been touring districts to rally support around the contentious Waqf row while amplifying their dissent against Yediyurappa and Vijayendra.
Supporters of Vijayendra, meanwhile, filed a complaint with the BJP high command, demanding action against Yatnal for his personal attacks.
On December 1, Vijayendra and his faction met at Yediyurappa’s residence to discuss the issue. While Vijayendra denied filing any complaint himself, he said that “party workers” had demanded action, as Yatnal’s behaviour was embarrassing the state unit.
Responding to the notice, Yatnal took to X to assert his stance. He announced plans to visit Delhi on December 2 to address the matter, stating, “My commitment to the fight for Hindutva, opposition to corruption, Waqf-related issues, and dynasty politics will remain unwavering.”
The escalating internal feud comes as the BJP is also mounting an offensive against the Congress government over the Waqf row. The party, which began an indefinite strike on November 5 accused the Congress of enabling the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf to issue notices to farmers and allegedly threaten their lands. The BJP has termed it a “land jihad.”