BENGALURU: There’s clamour for separate statehood for north Karnataka and there is clear indication of friction between the Congress and JD(S) widening. This could have been an opportune moment for the opposition leaders to sharpen their attack against the coalition government and hit the ground to garner the support of the dissenting sections, but majority of state BJP leaders seems to have gone into hibernation.

The state party leaders have failed to capitalise upon the discontent over the recent state budget and mega loan waiver.

The party cadres were awaiting the national president Amit Shah to visit the state on Saturday to blow the poll bugle and galvanize the party cadre for the fast approaching parliamentary polls. But it got cancelled at the last minute much to their disappointment.

The proposed state tour of B S Yeddyurappa also got postponed with the BJP chief getting admitted to Jindal institute to detox himself in view of the lunar eclipse . He is expected to get discharged only on August 1.

This cast a shadow on the BJP’s three-day padayatra from Ramanagara to Bengaluru to protest the irrational loan waiver scheme that concluded on Saturday night with lukewarm response. ``The padayatra was scheduled to be concluded on Sunday but was ended early after submitting a memorandum to governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.

At the other end, even the farmers address in Chikkodi and Belagavi by prime minister Narendra Modi has also been put off, due to the heavy monsoon in the region leaving little “action” for the party cadre to gear up for the polls. The PM was scheduled to address the rally as a “warm up” exercise for the 2019 elections on July 29 but has been put off indefinitely.

According to party workers, the BJP cadre is now waiting for Shah to arrive in Karnataka to give it directly to prepare for the general elections. “What is the point of working within the party, when you are anyways going to be given fresh assignments when Shah arrives? The party cadre morale is low and they are waiting for the big man to arrive and given them a push,” said a BJP worker.

So much so, even the social media campaign of the BJP has taken a “break” from its intense efforts with cadre being asked to get back to their “routine” outside the party.

Shah’s tour of Karnataka was scheduled for July 28 but was postponed indefinitely due to prior commitments in New Delhi. It is said Shah may arrive in the second week of August as part of his nationwide tour to organise the cadre ahead of next year elections.

