PMO's last minute name inclusion saves face for Opposition leader, averts rift in state BJP

Bengaluru: A last-minute addition of Opposition leader R Ashoka’s (BJP) name to the guest list in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s metro event in Bengaluru came as a major face-saver for both the Opposition leader and the state BJP.

The original list, released by the PMO, had state BJP president BY Vijayendra’s name among the guest list. While Vijayendra is a first-time MLA from Shivamogga district, Ashoka is a seven-term MLA from Bengaluru. The last-minute inclusion also included the names of Bengaluru Rural MP Dr CN Manjunath and Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh.

The exclusion of Ashoka’s name had sparked speculations about Vijayendra getting more importance in the BJP affairs in an apparent signal to his detractors.

IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge, in a post on X, poked Ashoka and urged him to thank him for helping him secure a seat on the dias alongside the PM and others. Kharge Jr had highlighted Ashoka’s omission from the guest list on Saturday seeking to know if this was a deliberate snub by the BJP and suggested Ashoka’s shaky foundation.

The minister also asked the Opposition leader to thank his followers for getting his name included by pleading with the Centre. Kharge, however, warned Ashoka in a post on X: “No matter what you do, you are still below your junior Vijayendra. This inclusion of your name is not an honor bestowed upon you; it is merely charity. You have a place only in the metro program, but no seat at the event to launch the Vande Bharat train; that seat is reserved solely for Shikaripura MLA Vijayendra…”

The state unit of the BJP has been beset with factions with groups quietly working behind the scenes against Vijayendra's leadership.