Mangalore: Former Minister, Nagaraj Shetty, Resigns from CDA, BJP

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Jun 25: Sources have confirmed that former minister and chairman of  Coastal Development Authority, B Nagaraj Shetty, has resigned from his post as well as the primary membership of the BJP. Besides handing over his resignation to BJP Dakshina Kannada district unit president, Padmanabh Kottary on Wednesday on June 22, he is learnt to have endorsed copies of the letter to state president of the party too.

After submitting the resignation, Shetty has remained elusive, and his mobile phone remains switched off.

Reacting to the development, Padmanabh Kottary confirmed that Shetty had resigned, citing personal reasons. “He is a state level leader and chairman of a corporation. Hence I have brought this matter to the notice of senior party leaders,” he commented.

Shetty, a product of the Sangh parivar, had worked as the president of Campco, in which capacity his leadership qualities shone brightly. In 2004, he succeeded in breaking the monopoly of the Congress over Bantwal constituency, and got elected as MLA by defeating former minister, B Ramanath Rai. He became minister in the JDS-BJP coalition government in the state in 2006. In 2008, he was defeated in the election, ending the stint of his meteoric rise in state politics.

Although it is rumoured that Nagaraj Shetty decided to leave the party because of a recent incident at Bantwal in which he was humiliated by party workers and functionaries, it is gathered that his relationship with the district level BJP leaders has never been very cordial. It could not be confirmed as to whether these were the actual reasons for his resignation.

Shetty’s resignation has not given rise to any immediate upheavals in the district BJP camp. When he was the district in-charge minister, Shetty had resigned from his ministerial position, peeved at a statement issued by the then home minister, M P Prakash. This resignation was withdrawn within two days because of pressure from party leaders. As his present resignation is yet to be accepted, the BJP leaders expect that state Chief Minister, Yeddyurappa, will be able to sort out all the issues and succeed in convincing Shetty to withdraw his decision, during his visit to the district on Monday.