The importance of being BSY

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru

He may be out of power, but he still is the most popular BJP leader in the state. Yes, the former chief minister and member of BJP Parliamentary Board BS Yediyurappa drew a rousing response from the Mangaluru citizens.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was “Raja Huli” who received thunderous applause from the huge crowd.

Every time his name was mentioned by the anchors, the public gave him a louder cheer than Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, State BJP President Nalinkumar Kateel, and other BJP leaders from coastal Karnataka.

 The Prime Minister was surprised to see the thunderous applause for the Lingayat leader, despite being out of power for over a year. Following instructions from Modi, the Shikaripura MLA went along with the Chief Minister on a special flight from Bengaluru to Mangaluru.

Yediyurappa was one among a very few leaders who were permitted inside the Mangaluru Airport to receive Modi. Others were Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, Bommai, DG&IGP Praveen Sood, ADGP (law and order) Alok Kumar, Kateel, and others. Yediyurappa stood third in the row to welcome Modi. After the murder of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru, the rank and file of the BJP feel that Hindus will be safer if Yediyurappa is the CM.

 The rousing response to Yediyurappa came as a big surprise for all the state BJP leaders because they thought his popularity was restricted to Lingayat-dominated districts. After seeing how the Mangaluru crowd cheered, the BJP high command might have once again understood the importance of the former chief minister.

With hardly a few months left for the crucial Assembly polls, the BJP wants to make Yediyurappa the poll mascot as they want to win it at any cost.

A senior leader who is close to Yediyurappa told News Trail that even the former chief minister may not have imagined he was so popular in the coastal districts. The thunderous applause he generated has proved beyond doubt that Yediyurappa is the only saviour for BJP for the next election just as Siddaramaiah for the Congress Party.

The Lingayat strongman is planning to go on the state tour after the ‘Janotsava’ in Doddaballapur on September 8 on a vote-capturing mission