Belgaum: The Bharatiya Janata Party does not need rivals to create problems for it as the party has its own people for that. So strong are the "differences" that its leaders have been fighting in the open.

Belgaum MP Suresh C. Angadi, and Bagewadi MLA Abhay Kumar Patil, both first-timers, have come out in the open and levelled charges of corruption and stalling development against each other, causing embarrassment to the party's district unit. The party leadership is yet to take cognisance of the matter.

Hitherto, though their differences were known not only in the party circles but others also, nobody expected it to reach the point of hate. The differences started with appointment of office-bearers to district and city committees about four years ago.

The immediate reason that fuelled the differences revolves around the long-pending demand of farmers on removing silt from Bellary Nala on Belgaum-Sambra Airport Road. The nala passes through the paddy fields falling under Bagewadi and Uchagaon Assembly constituencies represented by Mr. Patil and Manohar Kinekar respectively.

Both Mr. Angadi and Mr. Patil want to take credit of the work, which was taken up after a long struggle by the farmers on the banks of the nala. Much before being elected to the Lok Sabha, Mr. Angadi had lent his leadership to the farmers' struggle to pressure the State Government to take up work to remove silt work to prevent highly polluted water from inundating the paddy fields during monsoon. Finally, the government sanctioned the project and started the work a couple of weeks ago. The work was started with Mr. Angadi performing "bhoomi puja."

As the work was progressing, Mr. Patil organised a protest demanding details of "estimates" on the project taken up by the Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited allegedly bringing it to a grinding halt last week. He led a section of media to the spot recently and levelled charges of corruption in the allotment of contract. He even invited Mr. Angadi for an open debate on the issue and declared that he would even resign from the Assembly if proved wrong.

Responding to the challenge, Mr. Angadi urged the Government to order a thorough probe into the charges levelled by Mr. Patil. It has to be seen if the Government would consider his plea for a probe. It remains to be seen how the BJP's State leadership would respond to what is being described as "street fighting" by its leaders.

Deputy Commissioner M.E. Shivalingmurthy has said that the work on removing silt from the nala would recommence soon.

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