The BJP on Tuesday expelled its Nelamangala Assembly constituency unit president, Jagadish Chowdhary, in connection with the distribution of liquor at a programme that had been organised on Sunday, to felicitate the election of former Minister K. Sudhakar as MP from Chickballapur Lok Sabha seat.
“Distribution of liquor at the programme is against the party’s ideology and it violates the party discipline. The episode that has been reported in media has embarrassed the party,” said a communique from the Bengaluru Rural district unit president Ramakrishna to Mr. Chowdhary. The party communique said Mr. Chowdhary had been expelled for six years.
The BJP suffered an embarrassment as a video and pictures of the distribution of liquor had gone viral on social media. The organisers had obtained a temporary CL4 licence from Excise officials and it is being said that about 400 people had been given liquor at the venue.
Taking exception to the distribution of liquor at a party programme, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also president of the KPCC, had demanded that BJP national president J.P. Nadda explain how his party allowed liquor to distributed to its workers.
“Rather than the local BJP leaders, it is important that national leaders tell the people how the BJP is upholding the culture of the land by distributing liquor in public meetings,” he had said.
