Karnataka BJP MLC CT Ravi arrested outside the state Assembly on Thursday, hours after an FIR was lodged against him for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar.
Ravi, 57, a former BJP national general secretary, accused the police of allegedly acting on instructions from someone “higher up” and called the Congress-led government’s attitude “authoritarian”.
Ravi is no stranger to controversy, having been heavily criticized in the past for alleged anti-Muslim comments. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday called Ravi a “dirty mouth” and ruled out any “interference” in police operations.
Ravi’s unwavering loyalty to the BJP and the Sangh Parivar has been one of the defining features of his political landscape. In 2010, when the BJP government was on the verge of collapse in the southern state, locked between the faction led by then chief minister BS Yediyurappa and the faction led by the Bellary Reddy brothers, only a few of the party’s 117 MLAs were Considered loyal only to the party. Ravi is one of them.
Ravi was a youth leader in the post-Babri era of the 1990s, rising through the ranks of the BJP in Chikkamagaluru, which borders the polarizing coastal region of Karnataka. He played a key role in the struggle by Hindu groups to gain control of the holy shrine of Baba Budanjiri, which is revered by both Hindus and Muslims.
Vokkaliga leader Ravi first became MLA in 2004 but had differences with Lingayat Yediyurappa. His hardcore Hindutva politics and public comments often clashed with the more moderate leader Yediyurappa. Ravi once sparked a row by calling current chief minister Siddaramaiah “Mullah Siddaramaiah Khan”.
In 2012, Ravi became a minister for the first time in the government led by Jagadish Sheetal. He initially aligned himself with the Anant Kumar Bloc, which had a large say in the BJP at the Center before the Modi era, and is now considered to be close to BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, who is One of Yediyurappa’s rivals. Sheetal came to power after Yeddyurappa quit the party over differences with the then leadership.
Ravi’s hostility to the Lingayat strongman was evident ahead of last year’s state assembly elections when he suggested the former CM and his son Vijayendra were no longer the dominant force in the party.
“Just remember one thing. The decision of a candidate is not taken in anyone’s kitchen. No one gets a ticket just because he is someone’s son. The decision of the ticket is not taken in the aspirant’s kitchen Made at home,” Ravi then said, before mentioning Vijayendra in particular. “On the issue of Vijayendra, the decision will be taken by a parliamentary committee.”
While Ravi’s organizational skills made him an important leader of the BJP in Karnataka, his major drawback was that, unlike Yediyurappa, he did not have the support of any caste group. After his remarks against Yeddyurappa triggered protests by some Lingayat groups, the central leadership of the BJP has reportedly advised him to exercise caution while making statements.
In September 2020, Ravi was appointed as the national secretary-general of the Bharatiya Janata Party. During Yediyurappa’s second term as Prime Minister, Santosh was appointed General Secretary of the National Party (Organization).
Ravi, who was the tourism minister in the Yediyurappa government at the time, was considered one of the young front-runners after the BJP forced the veteran leader to resign as chief minister in July 2021. Acting, another Lingayat candidate was chosen to replace Yediyurappa, in the form of Basavaraj Bommai.
Ravi was among the BJP heavyweights who lost the 2023 Assembly elections. Ravi had won the Chikmagalur constituency in each of the last four elections but lost narrowly to HD Thammaiah, a Yediyurappa-affiliated leader from the Lingayat community who has joined the Congress party.
Ravi was sacked as the national general secretary of the BJP in July 2023, fueling speculation that he might be appointed to the new state party chief’s post despite opposition from the Yediyurappa camp . On the eve of the parliamentary elections, there were ongoing disputes between Ravi and Yediyurappa, and after the poll defeat, Ravi publicly accused party insiders of “collusion” with the opposition. But in November of the same year, Vijayendra was appointed state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), further isolating Ravi within the party.
Ravi has had his share of rows, with questions raised, including from within his own party, over his rapid rise in wealth. In 2022, when some Hindu right-wing groups called for a boycott of halal meat, Ravi likened halal food to “economic jihad.”
Earlier this year, during the Lok Sabha elections, Ravi was booked for allegedly posting hateful posts on X, violating the Model Code of Conduct. Though he aspired to contest from the Chikkamagaluru-Udupi Lok Sabha seat, the BJP eventually fielded former minister Kota Shrinivas Poojari, who got through to the seat.
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