At college talk, BSY vows to rise like a phoenix
Down but not out
It is no secret that former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa is leaving no stone unturned to reclaim the post of chief minister and the pre-eminence he once enjoyed in the State BJP.
On Monday, he topped his efforts with a public relations exercise at the Bangalore Institute of Management Studies (BIMS).
He went on and on about how the chair of chief minister did not interest him and even without it, he had been bestowed with the love and affection of the people on his Statewide tour.
But towards the end of his three-and-half-hour lecture on leadership at the inter-college management festival, he made a 180-degree turn, saying: “If the people of the State give me another chance, I will come back to serve them (as chief minister).” As if to boost his image-building exercise, a larger picture of him in graduation gown, 40-foot tall, adorned the venue.
He talked at length about the crests and troughs in his 40-year-long political career, including his rise in the BJP, the ‘backstabbing’ by H D Kumaraswamy and the ‘conspiracy’ behind his dethroning from the post of chief minister. He detailed the development projects taken up during his tenure.
“I am the best. I am the best. I can do it. I can do it. I am a winner. Today is my day. Say these words to yourself, like I do every morning and you can believe in yourself to be a leader,” he said, to a roar of applause from the audience of 300 students.
“I have been portrayed on this massive hoarding with a graduation gown with Dr prefixed to my name. I do not want any doctorate. I will be happy to receive a doctorate in social service, only when all citizens of the State live a life of dignity,” he said.
The 24 days he spent in jail, Yeddyurappa said, gave him the time and space to jot down his memoirs. “I found the time to take a relook at my past and write 50 pages everyday about my life,” he said.
Taking a dig at the media, Yeddyurappa said no matter all the good he does to the State, newspapers and TV channels always find ways to pull him down. “I warn those who criticise me that they will realise much later in life what they have done is wrong,” he said.
‘No questions’
Despite being invited to interact with the students, Yeddyurappa refused to answer questions from the MBA hopefuls. Reason: “I am not in a position to receive any questions. I do not have the strength after being accused of wrongdoing in my tenure.
But surely, I will return to you after my name is cleared,” he said.
However, after much coaxing by the college and after most questions were filtered, he did take two questions. Yeddyurappa was asked whether it is mandatory to be a elected representative to be a leader? In response, he said: “You do not need to be a politician to be a leader. Look at Anna Hazare or for that matter even those who served the nation during the pre-independence era. Very few of them became our elected representatives.”
