Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa is all set to celebrate his 77th birthday on a grand scale at the Palace Grounds here on Thursday.
While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the event, Opposition leaders and former Chief Ministers Siddaramaiah from the Congress and H.D. Kumaraswamy from the Janata Dal (Secular) will be part of the event. Senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna will preside over the event. B.L. Santhosh, BJP national general secretary (organisation), will also be part of the event.
“Mr. Singh was the BJP national president when Mr. Yediyurappa became the Chief Minister for the first time. Hence he has been invited as the chief guest,” said a member of the B.S. Yediyurappa felicitation committee.
Felicitation volume
A felicitation volume in Kannada with 78 articles from a cross-section of people, including politicians, writers, bureaucrats, and spiritual leaders, a coffee table book of photographs, and a documentary will be released.
Being the only Chief Minister beyond the age of 75 to be in power from the BJP, the bash has raised eyebrows. However, sources close to him said, “Mr. Yediyurappa is now one of the tall leaders of the State and the event seeks to position him so, which has not happened so far. It is important to record his rise to being in this position.”
After the floods
However, Mr. Yediyurappa celebrating his birthday as a public function on a grand scale, that too when the State is recovering from floods, has raised many eyebrows in both the BJP as well as other parties.
“We could have understood it if he was celebrating 75th or 80th birthday. But celebrating 77th birthday on a grand scale has led to curiosity in the party, triggering speculation on the intentions behind holding such an event,” said a senior party leader. Some of the party old-timers, including a few Ministers, too said they were puzzled.