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17 Lingayat mathas back BSY as CM amid leadership row
Bengaluru: Amid voices of leadership change in Karnataka, at least 17 mathas or monasteries of the Lingayat community in Tumakuru, about 70 km from Bengaluru, on Monday rallied behind chief minister BS Yediyurappa, extending their support to the leader from the community to retain his position for at least the next two years
Bengaluru: Amid voices of leadership change in Karnataka, at least 17 mathas or monasteries of the Lingayat community in Tumakuru, about 70 km from Bengaluru, on Monday rallied behind chief minister BS Yediyurappa, extending their support to the leader from the community to retain his position for at least the next two years.
In a statement released on Monday, All Karnataka Sri Veerashaiva Lingayat Mathadipathis Forum said Yediyurappa is a respectable senior of the community and has carried his duties well as chief minister.
The forum, comprising at least 17 mathas in the district, said any statement against Yediyurappa would be an insult not just to the chief minister but to the entire community. The statement, in Kannada, said Yediyurappa’s role was important in winning a high number of seats for the party. “In such circumstances, the All Karnataka Sri Veerashaiva Lingayat Mathadipathis Forum condemns any unnecessary creation of problems for Yediyurappa and backs him to complete his complete term,” the statement said.
Yediyurappa has been on shaky grounds ever since he took the top chair in 2019 after helping engineer the collapse of the HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government. There has been a concerted effort within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), seeking the ouster of the 78-year-old. Arun Singh, BJP’s national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, is scheduled to arrive in Bengaluru on Wednesday in a bid to calm tempers in the state.
The chief minister and his son, BY Vijayendra, have made several visits to mathas, which people aware of the developments, said was to mobilise support in favour of Yediyurappa, who has enjoyed the backing of Lingayats for the better part of the last decade.
On Yediyurappa turning 80 in two years, the forum said that former Tamil Nadu chief minister late MK Karunanidhi was active in politics despite being on a wheelchair for almost 15 years. It also cited example of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, saying he is still active and “can put any youngster to shame”. The forum said Yediyurappa was healthy, and it was not right to create any confusion in the minds of the people.
