Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa (fondly known as BSY) is doing a tightrope walk. No, it is not just about the majority he needs to prove that we are talking about. BSY has to face and solve several other issues. We have compiled three of them.
Bengaluru: A call from national president of the BJP Amit Shah to chief minister BS Yediyurappa may have set the ball rolling for him. But how smooth will his days as the chief minister be?
As confident as he sounds, chances of facing an internal rebellion are as bright as the one in the coalition ranks. From caste factor to regional representation to allegations of dynasty politics to dual power centre in the state BJP, BS Yediyurappa will have to walk the tightrope continuously.
Unfortunately, caste has always cast its terrible spell on state politics. The BJP has not been left far behind. Take for example the issue of Dalit accommodation. There are several Dalits in the saffron party. Who will he prefer? Will it be Arvind Limbavali, BJP MLA from Mahadevapura or Govind Karjol, BJP MLA from Mudhol? Both are seniors and it is important to win their confidence. Or when it comes to Lingayats, who will he prefer? Jagadish Shettar (former CM) is a formidable contender or for that matter, C Ashwathnarayan, MLA of Malleswaram also is. And when it comes to Brahmins, would he pick Suresh Kumar (former minister) or Ravi Subramanya (MLA from Basavanagudi). By the way, these are just two castes we put forth as examples.
When he was the CM in 2008, BS Yediyurappa was accused of favouring his family. Raghavendra and Vijayendra, his sons and Sohan Kumar, his son-in-law were also accused in the de-notification case for which, Yediyurappa had to face a lot of flak. It was these reasons that worked against him and did not allow him to complete five years.
Just like caste factor, even factionalism has become a bane to the political parties. It’s no secret that BJP too has factions in the state. Now, when a new president is chosen and he happens to be in the opposition faction to that of BS Yediyurappa, the CM will find it difficult to balance the government. As if that were not enough, the BJP high command will keep a tight watch on the state. Unlike earlier (2008) where senior leader LK Advani used to take a call and other leaders like Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath Singh could be easily convinced, Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi are not easily placatable. They will watch every move and every decision that Yediyurappa takes like a hawk.
Yet, with so many challenges staring at him, the CM is confident. Let’s see how he balances things.
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