The debate on former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s “return” to the saffron fold took an interesting turn on Wednesday with several flexes surfacing in Bangalore carrying photos of the Lingayat strongman with Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, senior leader L K Advani and Bangalore South Lok Sabha member H N Ananth Kumar.
The flexes raised three intriguing questions: “Will Goa Decide: Who is the Next PM? Who is the Next MP?” The BJP’s three-day national executive meeting is scheduled to be held in Goa from from Friday.
The posters appeared a day after state party spokesperson G Madhusudhan’s letter to national president Rajnath Singh urging him to bring back Yeddyurappa to the party. Though it is not clear who put out these flexes, it is widely believed that former BJP MLA and one of Yeddyurappa’s followers Hemachandra Sagar was behind this, as his photo is seen next to Modi.
Sagar is also believed to be behind the flexes as the questions are perceived to be taunting Ananth Kumar.
Sagar and Kumar are said to have fallen out, after the former was denied the BJP ticket to contest from the Chickpet Assembly segment, despite being the sitting MLA. Sagar remained incommunicado and did not respond to calls made and messages sent to his mobile.
BJP state president Prahlad Joshi told Express: “There is no proposal to bring Yeddyurappa back. I will seek an explanation from Sagar on this issue.”
A leader close to Yeddyurappa dismissed speculations that the former CM was himself behind these flexes.
“He is in fact upset with Sagar as it will send a message that he (Yeddyurappa) was behind all this.”
The political circles, particularly, the BJP was abuzz with possibilities of Yeddyurappa returning to the party fold.
“It all depends on various factors,” said a senior leader who did not wish to be named. According to him, “If Modi is projected as the Prime Ministerial Candidate, there is every possibility of Yeddyurappa returning to the party.”
Another leader pointed out that: “But for Advani, every other national leader including Modi want Yeddyurappa back in BJP.”
Yeddyurappa was one of the first leaders, when in BJP, to bat for Modi as the next PM candidate. Besides, Yeddyurappa wanted to replicate Modi and establish himself as a local satrap in the BJP. On many a occasion the former CM said: “There is no BJP in Gujarat. It is just Modi Magic.”
MLC MD Lakshminarayana, known to be very close to Yeddyurappa, however, dismissed reports of the “grand return.”
