Bengaluru: Lingayat mission goes awry for BJP

Bengaluru: With over 20 BJP central leaders lined up to campaign in Karnataka, almost 70 per cent of the Lingayat belt will see a surge in BJP campaign by the who's who of the party. The recent master stroke of Congress in onboarding former CM Jagadish Shettar and senior minister Lakshman Savadi has created a deep scare among the BJP leadership.

Amit Shah who is on a tour of the Lingayat belt from tomorrow is here to do the biggest firefighting exercise as the Lingayat belt which was a strong bastion of BJP is all falling apart. In another significant development, it also matters for intrigue why BS Yeddyurappa former Chief Minister has been missing from action. The party sources attribute it to the age factor, but in reality, BSY is peeved with the way things have been handled in the Lingyat belt by the party leaders.

The 'Chanakya' of BJP poll machinery Amit Shah's press meet held in Hubli today was attended by only Prahlad Joshi his colleague in the cabinet and none of the lingayat leader was present. Amit Shah's singing paeans of Lingayats sending out a message stating that Lingayats were with the BJP did not make an impact. In a tweet Congress General Secretary Surjewala said "Lingayats are deeply hurt by the step motherly treatment and insults heaped upon them by BJP leadership, not to mention the betrayal on reservation, which has been stayed in court"

Sources inside the party state that despite having differences between Lingayats and Veerashaivas in the end they are a single fraternity. They are a part of the diversity but their loyalties are together, the BJP was not able to understand this intricacy which is a failure of internal intelligence.

The absence of BS Yeddyurappa might have stemmed from various factors. Many things in the Lingayat belt happened behind Yeddyurappa's back keeping him in the dark. "He was covered and defeated," say the sources close to BSY. Lingayat leaders feel that BJP had systematically dismantled the Lingayat leadership in the Northern Karnataka. It was a measure to weaken the community and passing on the advantage to the other communities. This will cost the party dearly they said.