Leadership issue in Karnataka: Community factor comes to the fore

In a clear indication that the BJP high command would have to deal with the community factor if it wanted to dislodge Lingayat leader and Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, on Monday, amid speculation of leadership change in the State, the Veerashaiva Mahasabha and heads of Lingayat mutts opposed any moves to replace the Chief Minister.

President of the prominent community body All-India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, Shamanur Shivashankarappa, threw the weight of the Mahasabha behind the Chief Minister. Senior Congress leader from the community, M.B. Patil, also warned the BJP of the community’s wrath if Mr Yediyurappa were to be removed.

Mr. Shivashankarappa, also a senior Congressman, met Mr. Yediyurappa at his residence on Monday evening and was closeted with him for nearly an hour. He told media persons later that the Veerashaiva community was firmly with Mr. Yediyurappa and any efforts to dislodge him would not go down well with the community. “If they dislodge Yediyurappa, the BJP will suffer what happened when Nijalingappa and Veerendra Patil were removed. The BJP must think about this history before venturing into any adventures. It is B.B. Shivappa and B.S. Yediyurappa who toiled hard and built this party. If they remove him, they will be ruined,” he said.

Mr. Patil, describing Mr. Yediyurappa as a “tall leader of the Lingayat community”, said, “The BJP may face the wrath of Lingayats if they ill-treat a tall leader such as B.S. Yediyurappa. The BJP should value his contribution and treat him with dignity. This is my personal opinion, understanding that the proposed changes may be internal matters of the BJP,” he tweeted.

The Lingayat community, which has a dominant presence in Karnataka, is considered a vote base of the BJP.