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Yediyurappa meets PM, fuels speculation amid looming political uncertainty
Yediyurappa is on a two-day visit to the capital where he is expected to meet senior ministers of the Union government, among others.
Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi which he said was mostly regarding the development works in Karnataka.
Yediyurappa is on a two-day visit to the capital where he is expected to meet senior ministers of the Union government and the national leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
After landing in Delhi, Yediyurappa said that he would meet the prime minister and other newly sworn-in central ministers from Karnataka and discuss with them the development works of the state including the construction of the contentious Mekedatu balancing reservoir-cum-drinking water project.
At around 7.30 pm, the chief minister spoke to reporters again. On a specific question on any discussion on leadership change, Yediyurappa said, “I don’t know, you tell me,” ducking to give a straight answer.
The chief minister’s visit comes at a time amid swirling rumours of the BJP looking at the possibility of a leadership change. Yediyurappa’s camp has rejected this speculation.
Before meeting with the Prime Minister, Yediyurappa told reporters that he would meet Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and other prominent leaders of the party. There is also speculation that Yediyurappa would seek the BJP leadership’s approval for a cabinet reshuffle to accommodate the rebels to quell any dissent.
It remains to be seen how the BJP high command intends to handle the rebels and Yediyurappa, who is credited with having built the party in Karnataka over the last four decades. His unceremonious exit in 2012 had removed the BJP from power in the only state in the south of the country where the saffron outfit has been able to gain a firm foothold in recent decades.
People aware of the developments said that the chief minister’s line that he was meeting the Prime Minister to tiappraise him of the Mekedatu project and developmental works cannot be taken at face value.
“In my experience, a chief minister would meet the minister in charge, the party leadership and others but not the prime minister directly,” said the BJP legislator from Karnataka, requesting anonymity. He added that there may be no telling as to when the BJP will replace Yediyurappa but this meeting in Delhi is definitely the “step” towards it.
“They will start tightening everything from now,” he added.
Interestingly Yediyurappa was accompanied by his two sons, BY Vijayendra, BY Raghavendra; grandson Shashidhar Maradi; BJP MLC Leher Singh and two others. People aware of the developments asked why the chief minister chose not to take any officials with him if the agenda was indeed to seek support for developmental works.
Though it remains to be seen if and when Yediyurappa will be asked to step down, his critics insist that his continuation threatens to dent the party’s chances in the 2023 assembly elections.
Another person aware of the developments said that the visit to Delhi is most likely to set the terms of a replacement if the two sides do reach a deal amicably.
“There is no leadership change in Karnataka and Yediyurappa will continue. Yediyurappa is visiting Delhi to meet the Prime Minister and home minister, party president and other central ministers, especially the irrigation minister. Cauvery river issue is a major issue,” R Ashok, Karnataka’s minister for revenue and a person regarded as a member of Yediyurappa’s inner circle said on Friday.
Just two days ago, Union Jal Shakti minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat visited Karnataka and met with Yediyurappa and all senior ministers of Karnataka where he said that justice will be done to the southern state in the Mekedatu issue.
Yediyurappa has made it clear that he would like to remain in power till 2023 and, people aware of the developments said that the 78-year-old is hoping to place his two sons in prominent roles in the government and the party.
Vijayendra is the state BJP vice president and Raghavendra is the member of parliament from Shivamogga, the chief minister’s home district.
Yediyurappa has at least once before said that Vijayendra will contest the 2023 assembly elections to show that he would be the “heir apparent” of the Lingayat community and the BJP in Karnataka.
Raghavendra was considered among the BJP leaders who could be inducted into PM Modi’s council of ministers but PM Modi picked Shobha Karandlaje, another close associate of Yediyurappa, which was a strategy to keep the damage to a minimum if the chief minister does choose to do a repeat of his 2012 exit.
Adding to the similarities from a decade ago, Yediyurappa and his family continue to see rising charges of corruption. There have been at least three major cases against the chief minister and his family in the last month and several more against ministers and legislators of his party.
Yediyurappa has sought to take refuge behind the Lingayat community, believed to be the single largest group in the state who have backed the former since the turn of the century.
However, leaders such as the party’s Basanagouda Yatnal, among others, have had some success to bracket Yediyurappa as a person from one of the sub-sects of the Lingayats and not of the entire community.
“There is no reason to complain because they have made all concessions for Yediyurappa. He left the party and came back as chief minister which is a first. He is over 75 years and there is non-performance,” said one senior BJP leader, requesting not to be named.
Yediyurappa’s confidence, if any, comes from the fact that the BJP in Karnataka does not have a credible replacement, which people aware of the developments said, is not true since the party lawmakers will abide by the person nominated by the central leadership.
