Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Jan 4: It is learnt that former union minister, Basanagouda Patil Yetnal, who fell out of favour of the BJP national leadership during the last election, and was denied a party ticket in the Lok Sabha election of 2008, has decided to join the JDS.

The leader had earlier claimed that he would continue to be in the BJP and fight out against some of the leaders who had forgotten the party ideals and were sacrificing the party ideologies for their own gains. He was later, expelled from the party because of his anti-party tirades. He had for a short time, dabbled with the idea of reviving the erstwhile Jan Sangh in the state, in association with Urimajal Rama Bhat, a rebel BJP candidate, who had fought unsuccessfully as a Lok Sabha candidate from Mangalore constituency.

Yetnal, who wields considerable clout in Bijapur district, held a meeting with the JDS leaders at Bijapur on Sunday January 3 and had detailed discussions with them. He later informed that it was decided that a grand function would be organized in Bijapur on January 20, to admit him into the JDS. “JDS supremo, Deve Gowda, former Chief Minister, H D Kumaraswamy, former ministers, Revanna, P G R Sindhia and several JDS leaders will participate in the function,” he explained.