Former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar has announced his resignation from the Bharatiya Janata Party after he was denied to ticket for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly Elections. However, Shettar, who was the leader of the opposition when the Congress was in power in the state, said he would contest the poll for sure.“I have decided to resign from the legislative assembly,” a visibly upset Shettar told reporters.
He added he has sought an appointment with Speaker Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri, who is at Sirsi, and tender his resignation.“With a heavy heart I will resign from the party. I am the one who has built and raised this party. They (some party leaders) created a situation for me to resign from the party,” Shettar said. Recalling his contribution to the BJP and the key posts, including that of assembly Speaker he held in the state, Shettar said, “They (party leaders) have not understood Jagadish Shettar yet, for the way they humiliated me.” “I am upset over the way they ignored me, which made me think I should not sit quiet and I must challenge them. In view of that I had been saying that I will contest in this election,” he said. The Lingayat leader also alleged there was a systematic conspiracy against him and added that he was never an indurate person but the party forced him to become one.