Big jolt for BJP as RSS veteran Satish Prabhu quits party and joins Congress
Mangalore Today News Network
Mangaluru, May 08, 2023: In a rude shock to the city unit of the BJP, RSS veteran Satish Prabhu, along with four supporters, joined the Congress Party at the Dakshina Kannada District Congress office at Mallikatta in the city on Sunday, May 7. Santhosh Shetty, Rajesh Kamath, Rajatha R. Kamath, and Deeksha Kamath are the others who joined the Congress along with him. Congress leaders led by Vidhana Parishad member B.K. Hariprasad welcomed them by giving them the party flag.
Satish Prabhu is a trustee of Sri Venkatramana Temple, Car Street. An RSS volunteer since his childhood days, he has served various Sangh Parivar outfits like the ABVP, the BJP Yuva Morcha and the District BJP in his 30 years of public life.
Addressing the gathering, B.K. Hariprasad said that the inclusion of important leaders who have served in the Bharatiya Janata Party and various organisations for nearly three decades has added strength to the party. "A tsunami of defections has started in the BJP. So far, 47 senior leaders, including Jagdish Shettar, Laxman Savadi and six members of the Legislative Council have joined the Congress. The BJP is a sinking ship and Congress will rule in this state in the coming days," he said.
Satish Prabhu’s surprise move to join the BJP’s arch rival on the eve of the keenly contested state assembly elections has raised many eyebrows. He is seen as a Sangh Parivar loyalist and a diligent foot soldier who has worked at the grassroots for decades to build the party base in this region. He is well known for his integrity and humble life. He has a large number of admirers and followers. He is said to have been instrumental in arranging Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to Mangalore after he began to gain national prominence. However, after the Modi wave that swept the BJP to power at the centre in 2014, he was largely sidelined in the new power structures that emerged during the period. The trend of old party workers being sidelined has been widely observed after the party’s rise to power. Many veterans who have felt neglected have either withdrawn from politics or have become passive dissenters.
In his statement after joining the Congress, Prabhu said that he had been a loyal worker of the BJP and RSS and was now joining the Congress because he was disillusioned with the BJP. "I have been identified with the Sangh Parivar and the BJP for all my life and have taken on various responsibilities. But now, there is no pro-people attitude in the BJP. I am convinced that it is impossible to do any genuine work for the welfare of the people in the present BJP set-up. Being disillusioned with the BJP, I am now joining the Congress," he said.
"I am not joining Congress with any selfish goal or to secure any position or power. I just want to continue to work for the people, but this is impossible in the present BJP setup. Earlier, Congress had many great leaders who did excellent development work for this district and also built the party. There were many leaders belonging to my Gowd Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community also. I want to bring back the old glory by doing my best for the people and the party," he added.
AICC Secretary Roji John, Congress MLA candidate J. R. Lobo, party leaders P.V. Mohan, Lavanya Ballal, ex-mayor Shashidhar Hegde, corporators Prakash Salian, Naveen D’Souza, D.K. Youth Congress President Luqman Bantwal, Tejasviraj, Dennis D’Silva and others were present.