BENGALURU: Speculation is rife over former CM B S Yediyurappa and Housing Minister V Somanna not being even on talking terms, and both leaders admitting to a rift. “It’s been three months now since I met Somanna. Let him do his job and Vijayendra his own, as winning the elections is our one-point programme,” Yediyurappa told reporters here on Thursday.
“Somanna was not ignored in the party, and the high command spoke to him. Everything will be alright,” Yediyurappa said. Somanna, who on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital, engaged himself in programmes in his constituency, Govindarajnagar in Bengaluru, on Thursday. He distributed title deeds of houses to beneficiaries.
The rift between the two veteran Lingayat leaders is said to be related to their sons. While both on are good terms with religious institutions, but is alleged that Yediyurappa tried to restrict Somanna to his assembly constituency, which led to disharmony. Yediyurappa’s son and state BJP vice-president B Y Vijayendra, and Somanna’s son Dr Arun have also been at loggerheads, with a video of Arun criticising Vijayendra going viral recently.