BENGALURU: In a surprising, but strategic climbdown, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday deferred a decision on recommending the OBC tag to the Veerashaiva-Lingayats, reportedly after a conversation with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The issue’, which was listed on the agenda for the cabinet meeting, was discussed, but not approved as planned earlier. “Since this is a very special decision, we will discuss the issue with the central leadership and then go ahead.
This is also the view expressed by my cabinet colleagues”, the CM said, before heading into the cabinet meeting. Speaking to the media, Yediyurappa confirmed that he had a telephonic conversation with Amit Shah. Before the meeting, the CM spoke to Shah, who is said to have dissuaded him from taking up the issue in the cabinet for now.
The government will take up the issue up after due diligence — discussing it in detail with different community heads, cabinet colleagues, central leadership and legal experts and getting a comprehensive understanding of the matter, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said.
The CM was originally scheduled to address the media and make an announcement on Friday, urging the Centre to approve the OBC tag to the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community. This was being seen as a master stroke to further consolidate his support base in the community. But as the issue was deferred, the media contingent was informed that the CM will not address them after the cabinet meeting.
Lingayat proposal could have put Centre in a fix
Sources, however, pointed out that the central leaders felt that the issue of granting OBC tag to the politically dominant community should have been discussed with them before taking it up at the cabinet meeting. “If the proposal had been sent for clearance, the Centre would have been in a fix in approving it, and that’s why they asked the CM to put it on hold,” they stressed.
Some political analysts also said, “If it had been approved by the State Cabinet and sent to the Centre, and if the Union Government had delayed implementing it, then they could have risked being seen as anti-Lingayat.”On the issue of cabinet expansion, the chief minister informed the media that he had spoken to Amit Shah and will take up the exercise shortly.
“We will take a decision after holding discussions”, he said. There was however no clarity if he would expand or rejig the cabinet before the legislature session which is scheduled to begin on December 7.
Yediyurappa has been planning to expand the cabinet since September and has made two trips to Delhi for this. But highly placed sources in the BJP insisted that he had not got permission to go ahead with the expansion.
Cabinet identifies taluks for state’s 31st district The cabinet on Friday said it has identified taluks for the state’s new 31st district, Vijayanagara. Hosapete, Hagaribommanahalli, Kotturu, Huvina Hadagali, Kudligi and Harapanahalli will be part of the proposed district, with Hosapete as its headquarters.