JOIN USDissidence may be back in play after coronavirus break
The Covid-19 pandemic is but a temporary break for the discord lying dormant within the BJP government. Political circles are abuzz with talk that a full-blown dissidence is likely to erupt in August if the demands of one camp of legislators are not met by then.
Alternative power-sharing arrangements are also at play to placate Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, arguably the party’s only mass leader, into voluntarily vacating his post, it is said.
The legislators who have threatened to raise a banner of revolt are mostly Lingayats, the community that Yediyurappa belongs to. Accommodating them in the Cabinet remains the bone of contention, while an alternative power structure within the government vis-a-vis the role that Yediyurappa's younger son and BJP Yuva Morcha general secretary B Y Vijayendra will play has caused heartburn.
Bickering within members of Yediyurappa's Cabinet during the pandemic has also left one senior minister alienated. These factors are set to offer more challenges in the coming days for the year-old Yediyurappa administration.
In the 28-member Cabinet now, there are nine Lingayats, who are traditionally identified as the BJP’s core support base. Six berths are vacant. "A majority of BJP legislators are Lingayats; they are still sore about the lack of representation for the community and the North Karnataka region. We will make our voice heard," a legislator from the camp told DH. The distribution of Cabinet berths within various sects of the community is also skewed, the MLA said.
Ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka last month, eight-time MLA Umesh Katti and others had raised a banner of revolt against Yediyurappa. Bijapur City MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal had also made public his dissatisfaction with the CM. Yediyurappa's bid to placate Katti by nominating his brother Ramesh Katti to the Rajya Sabha also failed, after the BJP high command picked its own candidates.
Amid talks on attempts to unsettle Yediyurappa, there are also discussions to alter power arrangements in the state. "There were discussions on offering the gubernatorial post to Yediyurappa, a Union Cabinet berth to his son Raghavendra and a prominent position in the state BJP to Vijayendra. However, that did not make much headway as Yediyurappa insisted that he would vacate his berth only if his pick is made next CM," sources said.