Behind Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s overtures towards the numerically significant Lingayat community is the hidden hand of a seer who initiated the invitation to the Congress leader, and will share the dais with her during the felicitation of the 105 year-old pontiff of Siddaganga math, Shivakumar Swamiji, that could begin a realignment of community politics in Karnataka.
The seer, who heads a Lingayat math, reportedly made behind-the-scenes moves to woo the Congress and restore its frayed relationship with the community. The reasoning: with Lingayat strongman B.S. Yeddyurappa’s return to power uncertain, a relationship with the Congress president would benefit the community and protect the interests of cash-rich maths.
Sources in the Congress indicated that the seer sought out a woman minister in the S.M. Krishna state Cabinet and a retired DGP to get Lingayat leaders in the party together and work out a strategy to get Mrs Gandhi for the ‘Guru vandhana’ on Saturday. In turn, the former minister requested former treasurer of the party, Shamanur Shivashankarappa, to take the lead in inviting Mrs Gandhi for the function. This wealthy legislator of Davanagere has now ventured to present a purse in excess of Rs 1 crore to Shivakumar Swamiji.
Sources said Shivashankarappa seized this opportunity as he has been lobbying for a key position in the party for himself or his son, S.S. Mallikarjun.