Bengaluru: In poll-bound Karnataka, if there is one issue that is occupying the minds of the leaders of the two national parties – BJP and Congress – it is the Lingayat factor.
The Congress is eying votes from the community which has so far solidly backed the BJP. And the BJP is on the defensive on the Lingayat issue for the first time as two of its senior leaders – Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi, both Lingayats – have quit and joined the Congress.
The grand old party, which quickly welcomed the two leaders from northern Karnataka with open arms, is only too happy about this unexpected gift on the Lingayat front. It has described the BJP’s denial of tickets to the two prominent leaders as an insult to the Lingayats and an example of the BJP’s “use and throw policy”. It did not forget to remind the voters of the forced exit of Lingayat strongman B.S. Yediyurappa as chief minister and how he had announced his resignation teary-eyed.
But then, the Congress too is suddenly facing an unexpected situation concerning Lingayats. Former chief minister Siddaramaiah, the party’s OBC icon, is facing the BJP’s wrath for his remark in an interview. He is reported to have said, in reference to chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, that “There’s already a Lingayat CM. He is the root of all corruption in the state”.
The BJP has lapped up this statement – it was almost like a self-goal scored by Siddaramaiah when the Congress was attempting to take full advantage of the political `slight’ to the Lingayats by the BJP. The saffron outfit has said this was an insult made to the entire Lingayat community. The Congress appears to have been taken aback by Siddaramaiah’s statement and is finding it difficult to defend itself. Siddaramaiah clarified that he did not mean all Lingayats but only current chief minister, but this doesn’t seem to have helped. Bommai, a Lingayat, added to the issue by comparing former chief minister’s remarks to that of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on why all criminals have the Modi surname. Bommai said Siddaramaiah’s remarks had hurt the soul of Lingayats.
The BJP, which fears it is losing its grip on the Lingayat vote bank, is going all out to protect the same. At the same time, the party wants to ensure the defeat of Shettar and Savadi and is understood to have given the responsibility of this to Yediyurappa. It is perhaps with this twin objective in mind that party president J.P. Nadda visited Hubballi and nearby areas over the last three days while home minister Amit Shah made a dash for Hubballi on April 24. Nadda called upon the party workers to nullify the impact of Shettar, a six-time MLA from Hubballi-Dharwad Central, in BJP’s stronghold.
The BJP appears to be rattled by the outbursts of Shettar and Savadi, who have lambasted the party for the way they were treated after they served the party. This is especially true for Shettar, whose father was in the Jan Sangh, BJP’s predecessor. Shettar, who has been winning comfortably and increasing his winning margin in every election, has lambasted BJP general secretary B.L. Santhosh for denying him a ticket.
That Lingayats, or at least a section of them, are unhappy is borne out by the fact that the influential Moorusavira Mutt, established in the 12th century in Hubballi, expressed its dismay over the action against Shettar. This made Nadda visit the mutt and have a closed-door meeting with mutt seer Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Swami. What transpired in the meeting is not known. While the mutt did not hide its displeasure, Shettar also met Veerasomeshwara Shivacharya Swami of Rambhapuri Peetha, who has considerable influence among voters.
Amit Shah, responding to a question at an India Today event, said: “There was a rationale and a lot of thought that went behind denying tickets to party leaders.” He added that the party takes the decision based on a lot of factors. “They are not tainted and all the party leaders are respectable. We also talked to them about why they were denied tickets,” he said.
The Congress did not lag behind in appeasing Lingayats. Rahul Gandhi on April 23 visited Kudalasangama, the final resting place of Lingayat sect founder and icon Basavanna, and praised his message of equality.
The Lingayat community is known to have distanced itself from the Congress following the snub delivered by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to an ailing chief minister Veerendra Patil by announcing at the airport that the state will see a new chief minister shortly. Siddaramaiah as the chief minister has been accused of attempting to divide the Lingayat community. The party now wants to build bridges with the Lingayats.
B.S. Arun is a senior journalist based in Bengaluru.