BENGALURU: New state BJP president BY Vijayendra has the daunting task of taking along with him the party leaders hailing from different sects of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, who are unhappy with his elevation. Prominent among them are former union minister and MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal of the Panchamasali sect, and former minister V Somanna, who was in the race for the post of state unit president.
When the BJP high command favoured Vijayendra, Yatnal expressed his resentment and demanded that a leader from North Karnataka be made president of the state unit.
After Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and party’s national general secretary Dushyanth Kumar Gautham, who were here recently as central observers to select the Leader of Opposition, met him, Yatnal said, “He (Vijayendra) need not come to me and I do not want to talk to him as I have informed the party high command about the adjustment politics (in Karnataka).’’ He targeted Vijayendra, who met all top leaders of the party, but not him.
“Yatnal’s statement is being misinterpreted. BJP is a national party and its high command decided on my appointment after considering the suggestions given by state unit leaders. Yatnalji might have stated it with some pain. He (Yatnal) might have brought some problems to the notice of the central leaders. We will sit together and resolve them,” Vijayendra said on Sunday at KR Pete in Mandya district. Although Somanna did not issue any statement on Vijayendra’s appointment, he maintained that only “time will decide”.
As a show of strength, Somanna is organising a mega event at Siddaganga Mutt, a prominent Lingayat mutt, in Tumakuru in the first week of December without inviting Vijayendra.
In March 2022, Vijayendra organised a rally to mark the 115th birth anniversary of Sri Shivakumara Swamiji at Siddaganga Mutt in which Union Home Minister Amit Shah took part. He ignored Somanna and tried to establish himself as a leader of the community. That might be one of the factors that went in his favour to get the state unit president’s post. By doing this, Vijayendra managed to send a message that the community is also with him, according to some political analysts. Despite Somanna’s appeal not to take part in the rally organised by Vijayendra, many seers from the community attended it. Vijayendra met most of the seers from the community as soon as he became the state unit president.
However, some leaders, including Tumakuru Lok Sabha member GS Basavaraju, are with Somanna. When Vijayendra visited Siddaganga Mutt recently, he sought the help of Basavaraju to patch up with Somanna, according to a source.
Some leaders of the community, however, feel that why should they accept Vijayendra as their leader like his father BS Yediyurappa.