Yeddyurappa a sidekick to Delhi leaders: G Parameshwara, Congress, Karnataka Unit President

Congress’ Karnataka unit president G Parameshwara said the BJP national leadership has reduced its chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa to a side-player and made the narrative only about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In an interview with ET, he said the Congress party has not taken a decision on the Lingayat issue and that chief minister Siddaramaiah projecting himself as the next CM is the party’s election strategy. Excerpts:

What is your strategy to deal with the rallies by PM Narendra Modi?
You don’t need a strategy to deal with his appeal. The people of Karnataka analyse every situation. (They will say) Alright, this is not the general election, but one for Karnataka. Let us find out what he has done for us and what the chief minister has done. They will weigh and we will be better placed.

Is it Siddaramaiah vs Modi now?
CM Siddaramaiah has a role; Prime Minister Modi has a role too, but ultimately it is the parties that fight polls.

What is BS Yeddyurappa’s role?
Nothing.

But he is the CM candidate of BJP?
So they say. Why are they then depending so much on PM Modi and Amit Shah? This whole thing they have created, of “Modi is coming, Modi is coming”... poor things, the local leadership has gone to the dogs. Where is Yeddyurappa?

It is being said that the minority tag for Lingayats was just to stall Yeddyurappa from becoming chief minister. Is that true?
No, that’s isn’t so. Earlier too this proposal was there, and was sent to the then UPA government. At that time, the UPA decided that it probably wasn’t the right time to consider it, as it may have Constitutional and religious implications. Again, this time when community leaders approached the state government, it decided to go into the question, formed a committee and said alright, let’s recommend it to the Centre and let it take a call.

The state cabinet has endorsed the Lingayat religion decision. What’s your party’s stand?
We have not said give it (the minority religion status) to the Lingayats; we have just said this is the situation, you decide, constitutionally. It is for them (the Centre) to give the minority status or religious status. We are not divisive, voluntarily we didn’t do anything. We got a representation and we acted as a government. Our ministers MB Patil and Vinay Kulkarni were there (in the agitation for separate religion)as they belong to the community. I told them strictly ‘you are not representing Congress’.

CM has been saying that if the party wins, he will be CM again. Is it true?
Well, as a chief minister, if I say I won’t be the CM, 50% of my strength is gone. I don’t disapprove of the strategy. But there is no shortcut to avoid the Congress Legislature Party.

Are you still an aspirant for chief ministership?
That question only arises with the numbers. If we get the numbers, the system is that the CLP gives its opinion and then the High Command takes a decision.