BS Yeddyurappa cuts of ties with Sangh, may join third front

BENGALURU: BJP manifesto released on Friday promised free laptops for students, rice at Rs 1 and better waste management for Karnataka, a fortnight before the polls on May 5. But there was no mention of ex-chief minister BS Yeddyurappa. It was as if the Lingayat strongman had never served in that office. Clearly BJP wants to forget and move on.

When asked about the omission, CM Jagadish Shettar said, “we wanted to highlight the achievements of the government.” Yeddyurappa is attempting a similar reinvention of his political past, and the struggle, for both BJP and Yeddyurappa’s Karnataka Janata Party ( KJP) is beginning to show. While BJP is defensive about its record on governance and corruption, Yeddyurappa wants to maximise his potential as a spoiler.

He is banking on the strong Lingayat presence in North Karnataka and is talking of how as CM he sanctioned Rs 10 crore and allotted 10 acre of prime land in Bengaluru for a Haj Sadan, and distributing tickets to minorities (12 Muslims and two Christians, including to Michael Fernandes, George Fernandes’ brother). “All communities will be represented by KJP. This is not just a Lingayat party, but one for the people of Karnataka,” he said, speaking exclusively to ET.

Yeddyurappa has cut off contact with his old RSS contacts, and says with pride “almost all of Ramakrishna Hegde’s followers have crossed over to KJP”. He wants to establish a strong regional presence, and hopes to come to Delhi after May 8, “to meet presidents of regional parties and explore possibilities of a third front”. There is an attempt to occupy the strong socialist political space in the state, currently held by JD(S).