BENGALURU: During the three-day winter session at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah said that Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had no freedom to function on his own.
“The high command has clipped Yediyurappa’s wings. He cannot act independently,” said Siddaramaiah, chiding the state government for failing to secure enough flood relief from the Centre.
While all these remarks suggest that the BJP’s Central and state leadership are trying to put Yediyurappa in a tight spot, sources close to him say that the Chief Minister’s conduct may have worsened his situation.
The Central leadership appointed three Deputy Chief Ministers, despite his protests. As a means to balance power equations, MP Nalin Kumar Kateel was appointed chief of the party’s state unit.
A miffed BSY rebelled by placing his younger son Vijayendra in the forefront of his administration despite no official position or standing. Photos of Vijayendra sitting by the CM in official meetings did not go down well with the Central leadership.
With many of his men deliberately kept out of the cabinet, Yediyurappa chose to make MLAs S R Vishwanath and M P Renukacharya political secretaries. These decisions too have come under the Central leadership’s radar, party insiders suggest.
“The presence of Vijayendra in official meetings has started giving stakeholders the impression that he is the point person of the CM. Yediyurappa’s daughter Uma Devi is also being approached by people and this has set off warning bells,” said a source close to BSY.
While Yediyurappa seems like he is trying to shape his son’s political future, the Central leadership is unwilling to entertain any more allegations of nepotism. Yediyurappa’s children meddling in the administrative affairs is said to have reached the Central leadership’s ears.
“When Yediyurappa was allowed to take oath as CM, he was asked to keep allegations at bay. At a time when the party wants to be seen as opposing nepotism and dynastic politics, the Chief Minister’s son taking part in administrative meetings, despite not holding any posts, doesn’t reflect well,” a BJP leader pointed out.
The saffron party’s attempt to project Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi as the next-gen Lingayat face is also making Yediyurappa uncomfortable.
In an apparent attempt to destabilise those efforts, Yediyurappa has been holding meetings with Lingayat seers as well as community leaders in order to retain relevance.
If party insiders are to be believed, the high command has asked Yediyurappa to take corrective measures within two months and keep his family away from administration.
“The Central leadership is still keen on going for elections in Karnataka. The ball is in now in Yediyurappa’s court and he has started making a course correction,” a close aide of the CM said.