BSY sulks, BJP goes into a tizzy

Making it more than evident that no one can write him off in a hurry though he has had his innings as Karnataka CM more than once, veteran leader BS Yediyurappa on Thursday made it clear to his critics that he had his own strengths and no one could finish him off politically.

The statement came like a bolt from the blue for the ruling BJP which already has its cup of woes overflowing because of the lackadaisical performance of the Basavaraj Bommai government and the lack of unity among ministers and senior leaders.

It might also have sent the alarm bells ringing in the higher echelons of the BJP leadership for BSY, as he is popularly known, is no leader who can be ignored-he commands enormous clout in the dominant Lingayat community and is probably one of the few remaining pan-Karnataka leaders other than Deve Gowda and Siddaramaiah.

Yediyurappa proved how much he matters to the BJP when he split the party in the state ahead of the 2013 Assembly polls and formed his own party, the KJP in the backdrop of the illegal mining scam which rocked politics in the state. The BJP was routed in the polls and yet, the party leadership has more than once tried to cut him down to size, removing him from the CM post in 2021 after allegations of corruption and the charge that his son BY Vijayendra was interfering in the affairs of the government.

However with Bommai hardly fitting into the shoes of his mentor, the top brass of the party soon reached out to BSY once again making sure that he was accommodated in the BJP’s highest decision making body, the parliamentary board, to placate him.

There are many in political circles who feel it’s time to get on with the task of grooming younger leaders than rely on the ageing Yediyurappa who, going by indications, is more keen on securing the political future of son Vijayendra before hanging up his boots. In fact the overarching presence of Yediyurappa has ensured that other promising leaders of the party have remained in the shadows.

At best the former CM can lend strength to a poll campaign with his presence for neither he nor Bommai are known for powerful oratory. The fact that the Jan Sankalpa Yatra which was led by him and CM Bommai, drew thin attendance in comparison to the huge crowds former CM Siddaramaiah inevitably draws, goes to prove that the saffron party will have to scout for more powerful and dynamic leaders before the Assembly polls.

With its performance in government being anything but impressive and its leaders displaying an abysmal lack of initiative, many have already written off the BJP’s chances of returning to power in the state. A resurgent Congress is already eyeing a return to power and all it needs to do is to ensure a patch-up between top leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar on the issue of who will be CM if the party wins.

In such a situation, the BJP’s subtle moves to get on with the task of preparing the state unit for the polls, with or without Yediyurappa, is perfectly understandable. The big question is whether a miffed BSY, who can boast of close ties with the mathas of the Lingayat community, will play truant and leave the party to fend on its own as the polls approach. That going by the signals emerging from the saffron camp, looks like a distinct possibility