Panchamsali seer’s threat puts BJP in fix

BY Shyam  Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: When the Panchamsalis Lingayats  are in spate, the BJP inevitably  gets the jitters and it’s happening  now with Sri Jayamruthyunajaya  Swamiji of the Koodalasangama  Mutt warning that Panchamsalis  will vote against the saffron party in  case their demand for a quota under  the 2A category is not met before  December 10. This has put the BJP government  in a spot as it cannot give an assurance at a time when the model code  of conduct for the Legislative Council polls is in force till December 16,  2021 for the elections to be held on  December 10.

A survey, which was supposed to start from Belagavi  last week to study the socioeconomic condition of the  Panchmasali community,  has been put off following  the imposition of the code  of conduct.

With no government  commitment forthcoming,  the pontiff is not ready to  accept anything less than a  fresh assurance from Chief  Minister Basavaraj Bommai, and has warned that  Panchamsali voters will not  support the BJP in the coming Council polls. This declaration is giving sleepless  nights to the CM since he  has already been hauled up  by the BJP high command  after losing the prestigiouos  Hangal Assembly seat to the  Congress. A dismal performance in the coming Council polls is sure to spoil his  equation with the party top  brass.

The open admission by  the seer that Panchamsalis  supported Congress candidate Srinivas Mane in Hangal in the recent bypoll, has  left the BJP shocked as they  did not expect the community to switch its loyalty. Since  it has happened, the BJP is  taking the seer’s threat seriously, aware of the heavy  losses they may suffer in the  coming ZP/TP and 2023 Assembly polls.

The support of the Panchmasali community is vital  for the saffron party, especially in North-Karnataka  where they are in a majority. If these voters decided  to back the Congress in protest, it will be a big boon for  the Opposition party which  had lost the support of the  Lingayats after late Veerendra Patil who belonged to  the community, was unceremoniously removed from  the post of CM by then PM  Rajiv Gandhi.

According to the seer,  the Panchamsalis number around 1.3 crore in the  state and can defeat the  BJP in a majority of seats  in the North-Karnataka  region in 2023. What has  further annoyed the Panchamsalis is the fact that  B.S.Yediyurappa who was  CM, did not give an audience  to the seer when thousands  of community members  thronged the state capital to  fight for their demands. This  has angered the community  and they have decided not to  talk or approach him for any  assistance. For this reason,  the community did not vote  for the BJP despite a joint  campaign by Bommai and  Yediyurappa in Hangal.