Eight days after they returned from a resort to take part in the proceedings of the state legislature, many MLAs in the B.S. Yeddyurappa camp are getting restless and worried over the repeated failure of their strategy. Those who had assisted Mr Yeddyurappa to formulate his strategy for getting reinstated as CM, feel that the central leadership has placated the BSY and Sadananda Gowda camps by providing them different guidelines during their meetings in Delhi recently.
The BSY camp suspects that the leadership has played a cunning game. “They told us that they would take care of our interests and told the DVS camp that they should focus on their task of governing the state. They have not given any concrete assurance to anyone,” a minister in the BSY camp claimed.
Some BSY loyalists who visited their constituencies during the weekend, reportedly faced the wrath of people. “My voters do not understand the delay.and want quick results. They asked me what we achieved by getting holed up at a resort? Frankly speaking, we have exhausted all the arrows in our quiver. Our leaders should not have taken such a step,” an MLA told Deccan Chronicle. According to him, people would have appreciated the strategy had the high command reinstated Mr Yeddyurappa as CM by now.
BSY loyalists target Lingayat vote bank, plan convention
The infighting in the ruling BJP has spawned a battle for the Lingayat vote bank. Concerned by the success of the Lingayat-Panchamsali convention organised by minister Balachandra Jarkiholi to promote Lingayat support for Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda, the Yeddyurappa camp is now planning to hold a Lingayat convention in Gokak to showcase the former chief minister’s hold over the community.
Several Lingayat leaders including Rajya Sabha MP, Prabhakar Kore, MP Suresh Angadi, MLAs and Belgaum ZP president Eeranna Kadadi held a meeting with top leaders of the community in Belgaum recently where it was decided to hold a Lingayat convention in Gokak to demonstrate that Mr Yeddyurappa continues to be its undisputed leader.
The Yeddyurappa loyalists are clearly unhappy that the Jarkiholi group managed to unite leaders and seers of the Panchamsalis Maths , and of OBC and SC/ST Maths at the February 18 convention and with the fact that recent Budget pandered to these communities by meeting all their major demands. To their discomfort the Panchamsalis have since assured their support for Mr Gowda and demanded that he continue as chief minister.