Amit Shah sends out BSY bouquet message; Karnataka son rise gains sanction  

By Manish Anand

New Delhi, March 24: Karnataka’s son rise has been affirmed by the top brass of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s aim to establish his son B Y Vijayendra in the Karnataka politics by all accounts now has the blessing of the top brass of the saffron outfit.

Shah on Friday, in a premeditated move, nudged Yediyurappa to hand over the bouquet to his son Vijayendra, who in turn welcomed the Home Minister. Yediyurappa immediately got hold of another bouquet to welcome Shah at his residence on Friday morning.

In politics, gestures convey messages, which are sifted through and seen with lenses by the party leaders and the workers to make a sense of the minds of the leadership of the party, including the BJP. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi accorded utmost respect to Yediyurappa during the inauguration of the Shimogga Airport, it was the turn of Shah to convey the message that he would be happy with Vijayendra inheriting the legacy of his father in the state politics.

Sixteen per cent Lingayata vote base in Karnataka may prove decisive in the outcome of the Karnataka Assembly elections. Yediyurappa remains by all accounts the tallest Lingayata leader in Karnataka, with significant influence over the seers of Mutts, who are being wooed by the political leaders in the poll bound state.

Yediyurappa has already stated that he would not be contesting elections anymore. Vijayendra will be contesting from Yediyurappa’s Assembly constituency Shikaripura. Vijayendra is the youngest son of Yediyurappa. On the breakfast table at the residence of Yediyurappa, Vijayendra served the traditional Kannada meals to Shah. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, the BJP national general secretary Arun Singh, state unit party chief Nalin Kateel, state minister B. Sriramulu and others were also present at the residence of Yediyurappa in Bengaluru.

While Bommai heads the campaign committee of the BJP in Karnataka, Yediyurappa is a member of the team. Yet, Yediyurappa towering over others for the Karnataka elections is clearly the writing on the wall. Yediyurappa is given the credit for wresting power in Karnataka, which had been a socialist laboratory, for the BJP by crafting social engineering by addressing the political aspirations of the Lingayata.

Yediyurappa’s elder son BY Raghavendra is a Lok sabha MP. He’s likely to inherit Yediyurappa’s legacy in the national politics.

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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