Dharawad: In just little more than a week since two big leaders of BJP from the Lingayat belt joining Congress, it has swung back into Lingayat belt with a bang. But the troubles are not yet over as the top brains in BJP are still working on a winning strategy which could be as big a masterstroke as that the Congress played on BJP with Shettar and Savadi.
The BJP’s top brain Amit Shah who is touring the state for next two days, announced that the Lingayat community was still with his party and he can be sure of their support in the coming elections. His body language in the press conference held in Hubballi on April 24, taking questions from the media Shah told that Jagadish Shettar had been told the reason for denial of ticket to him and also Savadi, but they were looking beyond the reasons, he said. He also implied that B. L. Santosh had done a good job in distribution of tickets and choosing the candidate.
With over 20 BJP Central leaders scheduled to campaign in Karnataka, and the who’s who of the party will increase their presence in nearly 70% of the Lingayat belt. The BJP leadership is extremely alarmed as a result of the recent brilliant move by the Congress to appoint Former CM Jagadish Shettar and Senior Minister Laxman Savadi.
Amit Shah, who will begin touring the Lingayat belt tomorrow, is there to lead the biggest firefighting exercise as the BJP’s former stronghold is disintegrating. Another noteworthy development is that the mystery surrounding the absence of Former Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa matters. Party sources attribute it to the age factor, but in actuality, BSY is displeased with how the party leaders have handled events in the Lingayat belt.
The BJP’s election machinery’s Chanakya, only Pralhad Joshi, Amit Shah’s cabinet colleague, attended today’s press conference in Hubballi; none of the Lingayat leaders were present. Amit Shah’s singing paeans of Lingayats sending out a message stating that Lingayats were with the BJP did not make an impact.
Lingayats and Veerashaivas are ultimately one fraternity, according to sources within the party, despite their differences. They are a part of the diversity, but their allegiances are to one another, and the BJP failed to understand this complexity, which is a failure of internal intelligence.
BSY’s absence could have been caused by a number of factors. Yediyurappa was kept in the dark about many events that took place in the Lingayat belt behind his back. “He was covered and defeated,” say the sources close to BSY.
According to Lingayat leaders, the BJP systematically destroyed the Lingayat leadership in Northern Karnataka. It was a strategy to make the community less strong and transfer the advantage to other communities. It will cost the party a lot, they claimed.