BJP’s Tipu-Savarkar narrative? Not for BSY

News reports suggest that Yediyurappa is believed to have narrated the present quagmire the Karnataka BJP finds itself in and bluntly told the PM the party couldn’t win without him campaigning extensively 

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The strained ties and lack of unanimity between former chief minister BS Yediyurappa and the BJP state leadership continue like ever with the Lingayat leader slamming the narrative of pitting 18th century monarch Tipu Sultan against Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar that some in the party have been espousing as of late.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Yediyurappa insisted that BJP’s policies, schemes and governance should be the plank on which the saffron party should contest polls. It is noteworthy that about two weeks ago, State Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan had called for Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in the Assembly Siddaramaiah to be “finished off like Tipu Sultan,” an utterance he had to apologize for.

Nullifying that apology, the BJP Karnataka president had said in a public rally: “Tipu lovers should not remain here and only Ram devotees should.” Yediyurappa publicly denouncing these tactics is not entirely surprising since there has been a lot of friction between him and the party’s state leadership since he was made to step down as chief minister in July, 2021.

When specifically asked about Kateel’s statement, Yediyurappa flatly said he disagreed with him. “I don’t agree with him but the important thing is for us to work very hard. The Congress is also doing their level best to fight the BJP, but I’ve got full confidence because of Modi ji and Amit Shah, we are going to get an absolute majority and form the government,” Yediyurappa said.

Focus on social justice: Yediyurappa

The BJP bigwig added that policies, especially those pertaining to the development of disadvantaged groups would help them retain power and not emotive issues based on identity.

“Work hard. That is all. We are going to go around the state. Our government has given such good programmes to the people of Karnataka, especially SCs (Scheduled Castes), STs (Scheduled Tribes), OBC (Other Backward Classes) and all other communities. Such things should be explained to the people of Karnataka and they should be convinced that what we have done is in the best interest of the people of Karnataka,” he said.

Rapport with Modi Yediyurappa, the most popular Lingayat leader, has managed to keep himself politically relevant by keeping a line of communication open with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Back in mid-January, Karnataka BJP leadership had called a meeting with the party’s national general secretary BL Santosh excluding Yediyurappa and by issuing invites to Bommai and party state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, among other bigwigs instead.

The former chief minister, however, spoke with Modi earlier in the same week at the sidelines of the BJP’s national executive meeting. News reports suggest that Yediyurappa is believed to have narrated the present quagmire the Karnataka BJP finds itself in and bluntly told the PM the party couldn’t win without him campaigning extensively.

Modi is said to have mollified the Lingayat leader and assured him that the BJP valued him, promising a major role in the party’s electoral campaign. Yediyurappa is reportedly angling for his son BY Vijayendra and his supporters to be assured of plum positions in the party in the future.