Form of words:
Bangalore: Union Home Minister Amit Shahannouncement of He NS In the next assembly elections in Karnataka, the BJP will face the leadership of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Many wings have been ruffled in the ruling party, senior leaders have made their objections public.
Former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, KS Eshwarappa openly disagreed with Shah, saying the elections would be held under “collective leadership”, suggesting that the issue of leadership in the next election is yet to be resolved.
Shettar, who had refused to accept a ministerial berth in the Bommai cabinet, saying it would hurt his “self-respect of being a minister in his junior cabinet”, made no secret of his opposition to the announcement.
“We will abide by whatever the party decides,” he said. But elections are still far away. We have to see what happens when elections come.
When The Print reached out to Shettar for his stand on the matter, he declined to respond.
Bommai, like Shettar, is also a Lingayat and hails from the same district – Hubli-Dharwad – making him a direct contender within the party.
KS Eshwarappa, another outspoken BJP leader, told ThePrint that he was expecting a collective leadership.
“I am not contradicting Shah’s announcement, but from my assessment of the situation in Karnataka, we need a collective leadership. BS Yediyurappa and I have built the party over four decades,” Eshwarappa said.
“We need Bommai’s leadership as CM, Nalin Kumar Kateel’s leadership as party president, BS Yediyurappa’s leadership as a mass leader. One person’s leadership will not suffice and that is all I am saying.”
He said that the BJP may have emerged as the single largest party at times but it never got full mandate in Karnataka and only a collective leadership can ensure this.
“But this is only my opinion. I will suggest the same to the party but I will abide by the decision taken by the party.”
It has been a little over a month since Basavaraj Bommai took over the reins of Karnataka from BS Yediyurappa on July 28, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah surprised many in the party with his public announcement of Bommai’s role in the upcoming assembly elections. Gave. in 2023.
“BS Yediyurappa voluntarily decided that someone new should be given the responsibility of Karnataka. The BJP decided that Basavaraj Bommai should be given the responsibility and made him the chief minister. I am confident that under Bommai’s leadership BJP will return to power in Karnataka with full mandate.
Party insiders told ThePrint that Shah’s statement would put an end to speculation whether Bommai would be allowed to continue in office for the rest of his term.
The source of all conjecture is the fact that the last time BS Yediyurappa was forced to resign as chief minister in August 2011, DV Sadananda Gowda took him to the top post. However, Gowda’s tenure came to an end with Jagadish Shettar taking over as the Chief Minister in July 2012.
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‘Statement with clear intent’
Party insiders and political analysts told ThePrint that Shah’s remarks make it clear that Bommai is here to stay, and the home minister’s statement has come with a lot of thought and clear intent.
“It was not an off-the-cuff remark. Amit Shah’s announcement is a clear message to the various factions developing within the state BJP that the party is firmly and consciously with Bommai,” said political analyst at Lokniti Network and national coordinator Dr. Sandeep Shastri told ThePrint.
“This reinforces that Bommai is the choice of the central leadership and is backed by BS Yediyurappa and not vice versa.”
Shastri said the statement comes at a time when Yeddyurappa has announced that he will go on a state-wide tour to “strengthen the party”.
Party insiders agree with the assessment.
A senior party functionary told ThePrint, “Shah may have intended to quell any discontent in the party with Bommai being made the chief minister.”
“Maybe remind the leaders and cadres to do their job and not worry about who is heading the affairs,” he said. “Whatever their reasons, I think, a month is too short a period to judge one’s leadership.”
Many in the party also believe that Amit Shah’s endorsement of Bommai is a signal to old BJP leaders that it is time to make way for a new leadership.
“The opposition of people like KS Eshwarappa or Jagadish Shettar is incomprehensible as they have completed their innings in the party. Nalin Kumar Kateel, as the party’s state unit president, or CT Ravi as national general secretary or leaders like Arvind Limbawali or R Ashok can express their opinion as they are the next circle of leaders,” said Lahar Singh Siroya, senior Said co-treasurer of MLC and BJP Karnataka.
“Since the party is looking for young faces everywhere, it is our duty to support the party’s decision,” he said.
The fallout or dissent over the remarks, party leaders told ThePrint, is pointless, especially when a stalwart like Yediyurappa was persuaded to follow the line of the central leadership.
(Edited by Arun Prashant)
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