Hidden agenda behind Shetty’s resignation drama

By CT reporter
MANGALORE : District minister Nagaraj Shetty created a ripple in the BJP recently soon after the city returned to nomalcy, when news of his resignation to his ministership spread like wild fire. But soon everything became crystal clear that all this was mere drama.
The main intention of the resignation drama of Shetty was aimed at shunting the Western Range IGP Satyanarayana Rao from Mangalore, as it was he who had made it inevitable for the erstwile Bunder station inspector Vinay Gaonkar who was transferred to Bangalore to report to duty there itself, not paying heed to Shetty’s appeal to retain Gaonkar in the city.
There remains no doubt that the not so cordial relationship between the IGP and SP Dayanand has virtually split the BJP minister and his legislators with the former wanting the IGP to be shunted while the legislators want the SP out.
While Shetty and the Kalladka high command are mounting pressure for the transfer of the IGP, the Mangalore and Suratkal legislators Yogish Bhat and Krishna Palemar respectively want the SP to be transferred on the grounds that the inaction of the SP and his policy of appeasement of some leaders had led to the escalation of violence in Mangalore.
Reports say the two legislators have also made this point clear to the deputy chief minister Yadiyurappa and home minister MP Prakash during their visit to the cituy recently.
But Shetty’s demand has recieved a setback more so because the IGP is backed by the Udupi district minister VS Acharya and the Pejawar seer Sri Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji.
The district minister Nagaraj Shetty taking cognizance of all these aspects, enacted the resignation drama on the grounds that the home minister MP Prakash during his visit to the city had not taken him into confidence.
Shetty who was very well aware that given the present situation in the district, both the CM and the deputy CM would pressurise him not to resign, on the other hand planned to lay down a condition that the IGP should be transferred. What is noteworthy here that Shetty who tried to project himself as a hero through his resignation drama, actually had not handed over his resignation letter to any one. Sources indicated that he had revealed this to DVS Sadananda Gowda, the state chief of the party who took him to task for the resignation.
But all these developments point towards one fact that it would be either the SP or the IGP who will have to face axe in the aftermath of the Mangalore violence.