<p>Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown and it can only get worse when you sit on a throne of thorns. This has been Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s predicament ever since he assumed office in July 2019, with undying speculation about his ‘imminent’ change giving him sleepless nights. Ironically, the threat to the chief minister’s chair comes not from the opposition, but from the ruling BJP members themselves who lose no opportunity to embarrass him. The high command’s continued refusal to initiate action against such members gives rise to doubts that they may be enjoying the tacit support of Delhi leaders. At the core of the criticism against Yediyurappa is that he has given a free hand to his son B Y Vijayendra—who is often referred to as super chief minister—to run the government. BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has repeatedly accused the chief minister’s family of large-scale corruption, including accepting bribes for sanctioning projects and transfers. Similar charges have also been levelled by Tourism Minister C P Yogeshwar and others.</p>.<p>The cabinet itself is a divided house, with the open differences between ministers leading to indecisiveness and denting the fight against Covid-19 right from the start. In an unprecedented move, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa submitted a written complaint to the Governor accusing Yediyurappa of several serious administrative lapses and irregularities in the release of funds. The chief minister’s decision to grant about 3,600 acres of land to Jindal Steel Works (JSW) at a “throwaway price” after strongly opposing the move when it was mooted by the previous Kumaraswamy government, also drew sharp criticism from a group of BJP legislators led by Hubli-Dharwad (West) MLA Arvind Bellad and BJP national general secretary C T Ravi, who smelt a scam.</p>.<p>Unfortunately, Yediyurappa has failed to display leadership qualities and has emerged as a weak chief minister unable to control either his ministers or his family’s interference in governance. During the cabinet reshuffle some time ago, he had bowed to pressure and changed the portfolios five times in three days. If the chief minister is unable to discharge his duties for reasons of age or health, he should honourably resign instead of depending on the unconstitutional crutches provided by son. The BJP high command too should take a decision one way or the other without any delay, for no chief minister can effectively discharge his duties when the sword of Damocles is constantly hanging over his head. In the end, when the administrative machinery is in a state of flux, the state suffers.</p>
<p>Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown and it can only get worse when you sit on a throne of thorns. This has been Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s predicament ever since he assumed office in July 2019, with undying speculation about his ‘imminent’ change giving him sleepless nights. Ironically, the threat to the chief minister’s chair comes not from the opposition, but from the ruling BJP members themselves who lose no opportunity to embarrass him. The high command’s continued refusal to initiate action against such members gives rise to doubts that they may be enjoying the tacit support of Delhi leaders. At the core of the criticism against Yediyurappa is that he has given a free hand to his son B Y Vijayendra—who is often referred to as super chief minister—to run the government. BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has repeatedly accused the chief minister’s family of large-scale corruption, including accepting bribes for sanctioning projects and transfers. Similar charges have also been levelled by Tourism Minister C P Yogeshwar and others.</p>.<p>The cabinet itself is a divided house, with the open differences between ministers leading to indecisiveness and denting the fight against Covid-19 right from the start. In an unprecedented move, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa submitted a written complaint to the Governor accusing Yediyurappa of several serious administrative lapses and irregularities in the release of funds. The chief minister’s decision to grant about 3,600 acres of land to Jindal Steel Works (JSW) at a “throwaway price” after strongly opposing the move when it was mooted by the previous Kumaraswamy government, also drew sharp criticism from a group of BJP legislators led by Hubli-Dharwad (West) MLA Arvind Bellad and BJP national general secretary C T Ravi, who smelt a scam.</p>.<p>Unfortunately, Yediyurappa has failed to display leadership qualities and has emerged as a weak chief minister unable to control either his ministers or his family’s interference in governance. During the cabinet reshuffle some time ago, he had bowed to pressure and changed the portfolios five times in three days. If the chief minister is unable to discharge his duties for reasons of age or health, he should honourably resign instead of depending on the unconstitutional crutches provided by son. The BJP high command too should take a decision one way or the other without any delay, for no chief minister can effectively discharge his duties when the sword of Damocles is constantly hanging over his head. In the end, when the administrative machinery is in a state of flux, the state suffers.</p>
