On the 70th birthday of former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, Shivarudra Swamy of Beli Mutt pointed out the most glaring weaknesses of the former chief minister: lack of patience and manipulative skills of a Chanakya needed for a politician. But Yeddyurappa seems to be making amends, though a bit too late in his political career, as was evident on Monday when he changed his game plan to regain the reins of power.
For those waiting for fireworks from a sulking Yeddyurappa to rock the DV Sadananda Gowda government, it was a day of disappointment as Yeddyurappa expressed his readiness to wait for an opportune time. With the number of his loyalists dwindling fast, after the tough talk by BJP national president Nitin Gadkari, his ability to depose Sadananda Gowda has eroded.
The realisation that Sadananda Gowda’s government could survive, even if he (BSY) quit with his staunch followers, whose number has dwindled to less than 15, with the support of the JD(S) has forced Yeddyurappa to swallow the humiliation.
The fear of Supreme Court ordering a CBI probe into his alleged role in illegal mining scam has further deterred him from losing the levers of power in the state, besides preventing him from adopting a confrontationist stand against the BJP national leadership. The Central Empowered Committee is expected to submit its opinion within the next few days in connection with the petition requesting for a CBI probe into his role.
With Gadkari flatly rejecting his demand for reinstating him as the chief minister, Yeddyurappa has now set his sights on the next general election, whenever it happens. His announcement to start a state-wide tour — to strengthen the party — is the first phase of his plan to consolidate his mass base.
A whole new dimension has been added to this ‘wait and watch’ strategy by the campaign unleashed for an image makeover for Yeddyurappa: from a Veerashaiva leader to a champion of backward communities as well. The game plan envisages utilising the immense goodwill he enjoys among the seers of over 30 mutts.
The liberal grants he doled out to these religious institutions during his tenure as the chief minister and a slew of populist programmes he launched for the rural masses would be showcased in every village to project him as the messiah of backward communities.
The strategy is based on the premise that the combined support base of the Veerashaiva community and the backward communities would make Yeddyurappa the unassailable leader, forcing BJP to project him as its chief ministerial candidate in the next election. However, there would be no let up in the day-to-day pin-pricks against the Sadananda Gowda government
Comments