Bengaluru: The Congress party has slowly started to feel the heat of their alliance with the JDS. In a bid to protect their identity, many Congress leaders are turning to the BJP in Karnataka. In a big jolt to the party, former minister and former district in-charge minister from Hassan, A Manju, who is considered as the only leader who is showing the courage to attack the former Prime Minister Deve Gowda family, joined the BJP.
Even though Manju’s defection was widely expected, it was believed that he may wait till Monday, but he suddenly rushed to the BJP district office on Sunday late evening and joined the party in the presence of local MLA Preetham J Gowda, another bitter critic of the Gowda family.
It can be recalled that A Manju was the district in-charge minister in the Siddaramaiah government. He virtually took the Gowda family head on and tried to build a party base. He was, however, defeated from the Arkalgud constituency in the 2018 state assembly election.
According to the BJP sources, Manju took the party membership by giving a missed call to the toll-free number.
Speaking to reporters, Manju informed that he has already submitted his resignation papers to the Congress primary membership through fax to KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao. “The Deve Gowda family is responsible for my decision,” he said.
