Bengaluru, 24 May

After chairing a Karnataka BJP core committee meeting, BJP National President Nitin Nabin on Sunday claimed the Congress government had “betrayed” the people of the State.

Nabin’s maiden visit to the State comes amid speculation about a rejig in the BJP leadership in the State, with Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra’s term at the top post set to expire in November and the party looking to gain momentum well ahead of the 2028 elections.

However, Nabin, on a two-day visit to Karnataka, alleged that the Congress was plagued by internal conflicts and accused its leaders of “using power for personal interests” rather than governance.

He alleged that Congress had diverted its focus away from development and welfare activities over the past three years.

“Because of their internal conflicts, public welfare works have taken a back seat,” he said, a reference to the alleged power tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Deputy DK Shivakumar.  “The government here has nothing to do with the interests of the people. The leaders running this government are using the government and power merely as instruments for themselves.”

Nabin accused the Congress of “financially exploiting” Karnataka for the benefit of its national leadership. “Congress is using Karnataka as an ATM to decorate and sustain its court in Delhi.”

Sources said that during the State-level core committee meeting, Nabin gave instructions to gear up for the local body elections – such as the upcoming GBA polls - and strengthen the party base at the grassroots level for the 2028 assembly election.

However, he said he is looking forward to participating in the training camps to be held in the State and “observe how the party’s active organisational activities are continuously moving forward in Karnataka.”

Notably, when Vijayendra, a first-term MLA, was made President, the BJP suffered from continuous infighting and factionalism.