BS Yeddyurappa’s words were, “Till my last breath I will continue to serve the Bharatiya Janata Party and even though I have decided to retire from active politics, my aim is to ensure that the BJP comes to power with an absolute majority in the elections.” ” , the four-time Chief Minister of Karnataka, told me as he was about to leave the premises of the majestic Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.
Yediyurappa was also making a point as he walked around the forecourt of the assembly building, garlanding the statues of Dr BR Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi. Accompanied by state Home Minister Araga Gyanendra, Education Minister BC Nagesh and Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani among others, Yediyurappa certainly had a strong message when he walked into Vidhana Soudha for the last time as an MLA: that He is neither down nor out.
His voice trembling and getting emotional, he announced his retirement on Wednesday. When he told it to be his last speech in the Assembly, Speaker Vishweshwar Kageri intervened and told the senior leader that he would address the Assembly on Friday, the last day of the session, and it was not yet time for him to say goodbye. ,
Yediyurappa’s political career is no mean feat, spanning four decades, including building the BJP cadre from the ground up in the southern state, which has a strong RSS presence. He is not only credited with his contribution in letting the lotus of the BJP blossom for the first time in the South India Rather brought the party to power four times under his leadership as Chief Minister.
Age is just a number for one of the senior most BJP leaders. As he turns 80 on February 27, his quest to bring the BJP back to power continues. He continues to enjoy the star status of the man the BJP trusts to win elections. Even during his farewell speech in the Karnataka Assembly when he announced his retirement from active politics, he reiterated that he was neither sidelined nor felt sidelined by the party – rather he have taken it upon themselves to bring it back. Like in 2018, BJP is in power in Karnataka as well.
The RSS worker who fought and built the party brick by brick, vote by vote, is also known as the shrewd politician, in what today is called Operation Lotus: The art of luring BJP MLAs with power and money . His ability to bring senior MLAs from other parties to the BJP and ensure victory in the bypolls further cemented his position in the party’s core team.
Former Chief Minister’s farewell speech was full of tributes to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his allies in Karnataka, but his stature was reflected in the fact that the veteran politician did not forget to thank his colleagues in the opposition, including Siddaramaiah and HD Deve Gowda, who have worked with him while charting his political graph.
Yeddyurappa’s political career has been full of ups and downs, including becoming the chief minister of the state four times and unfortunately being unable to complete even a single term. He has also been the leader on whom the central leadership of the BJP has leaned to consolidate votes for the party across all communities and religions. He is a politician who is well accepted by the Muslim community despite being from an RSS background, which the BJP has recently seen moving away from.
Even though the party’s central leadership forced him to resign as chief minister mid-term in 2021 as it “wanted to clip his wings”, the high command soon realized that an angry Yeddyurappa could further damage the party’s prospects. Are. The high command fielded Basavaraj Bommai, the Yediyurappa-approved candidate, to replace him. A hurt Yeddyurappa’s fury was witnessed by the BJP in 2012 when the troubled leader left the party to form his own outfit, the KJP. Not only did it affect the political fortunes of the BJP in that election, but KJP also won some key constituencies.
Such is the power of the man that a few days ago, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing a public meeting in Ballari, urged the people of Karnataka to “trust Narendra Modi and Yediyurappa once again” without mentioning Chief Minister Bommai’s name. Said – a sign of the continuing importance of an obvious septuagenarian.
Is Yeddyurappa indispensable for the BJP? Not only does he have influence over Lingayat voters who constitute the largest community in the state, he also represents an era of politicians who may be enemies on the ground but friends off the field. This camaraderie and respect for the leader was further demonstrated when senior leaders from all parties including Siddaramaiah (Congress), HD Deve Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy (JDS) attended his birthday celebrations held in the grounds of the sprawling palace in 2017, and once again in 2020 for the ceremony. It was an event full of messages. The bash was much more than a birthday celebration – it was designed to flex muscles and show the central leadership how popular, strong and influential Yediyurappa and his family are in Karnataka politics.
Today, while he is determined to retire, he has also ensured that he secures the future of his younger son BY Vijayendra in state politics along with considerable authority in ticket selection.
As the state heads towards an interesting but tough election, Yediyurappa is eyeing the party to win its swansong. Even if the state returns a fractured mandate, the BJP will count on its “Mr Dependable” to bring him back to the hot seat. After all, he is the master of the game called “Kissa Kursi Ka”.
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