Will remain Karnataka CM for next two years: Yediyurappa

Bengaluru BS Yediyurappa on Friday said that he will continue as Karnataka’s chief minister for another two years and dismissed any change in leadership in the southern state

Bengaluru BS Yediyurappa on Friday said that he will continue as Karnataka’s chief minister for another two years and dismissed any change in leadership in the southern state.

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“For the next two years, I will be chief minister and will focus more on development works for the state,” Yediyurappa said on Friday, exuding new-found confidence after speculation of his removal was denied by the central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Though it remains unclear if the BJP will actually replace Yediyurappa, the 78-year-old has made his intentions clear, irrespective of what the party high command has on their minds.

The statement comes a day after Arun Singh, Rajya Sabha member and BJP’s national general secretary incharge of Karnataka, said that there were no discussions of a change in leadership.

“The Karnataka incharge has said that there is no question and it does not arise and that Yediyurappa will remain for the entire term,” the chief minister said.

Singh mirrored the recent gag order enforced by the state unit of the BJP, restricting anyone from speaking out against the chief minister or the government.

Since Yediyurappa seized power in 2019 by engineering the collapse of the HD Kumaraswamy-led Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress coalition government, the 78-year-old has been on the receiving end of sharp criticism from his own partymen. First over the choice of cabinet that prioritized his close circle and then of turncoats who helped him to power, leaving many seniors out.

The clamour to remove Yediyurappa has grown louder in recent months over the handling of Covid-19, corruption, non-performance and allegations that his son, BY Vijayendra, was running a parallel administration under the aegis of his father.

“No one should speak against the party. And the high command will take a call on the change in leadership,” said one senior national level office bearer of the BJP, requesting not to be named. He, however, said that Yediyurappa was operating on “borrowed time”.

“Three exceptions have been made for Yediyurappa by the BJP. One is that he left the party but was given the chief minister’s post after he returned. He is 78-years-old. And despite the lack of performance, he has still not been removed. So every day since 2019 is a bonus for him,” said the person cited above.

Yediyurappa’s biggest challenges have mostly come from within his own party and government, with legislators and ministers rushing to Delhi frequently to complain against him.

Vijayendra had even met prominent Lingayat seers on Thursday, which some people aware of the developments said, was to mobilise support for Yediyurappa.

Yediyurappa, who hails from the Lingayat community, believed to be the single largest caste group in the state, enjoys their support and is banking on them to back him this time as well.

People aware of the developments said that Yediyurappa’s removal before the next election (2023) was inevitable, but it had to be done tactfully so as to avoid a repeat of the 2013 elections (in which BJP were reduced to 40 seats from 110 in 2008) and lose their only presence in southern India.

Karnataka has long been considered the gateway to the south for the saffron party which is yet to make any major inroads into Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where it has little or no political representation.