Bangalore : BJP national president, Nitin Gadkari (54) inaugurated a “Swabhimani Samavesha” (self-respect convention) to unite state leaders who got divided on the issue of Lokayukta’s sudden resignation last week, which brought the only other national party (and DNA) to the boil.

Lokayukta has withdrawn his resignation only after Gadkari met him along with CM at his Sadashiva Nagar residence on Saturday. The CM had to eat his words, as the 1986 file with jottings of Justice Hegde as the then Advocate general, did not suggest anything against him. With a clean image, Santhosh Hegde went to the state Governor, and took back the resignation, to the satisfaction of all but not before catching 7 officers in 4 cities and their assistants, and seizing around Rs. 8 Crore worth illegal wealth from them in Bangalore, Bellary, Gulbarga and Mangalore.
The BJP was shaken to its roots, with CM on the brink of his own loss of recognition. Instead, he was saved and made lavish promises to the poor and farmers in the state, to uplift them, in the  next 3 years.