‘Yediyurappa & his son Vijayendra want to divide Veerashaiva- Lingayat community’

Team Udayavani, Feb 15, 2021, 8:02 AM IST

Bengaluru: Rebel BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil on Sunday alleged that Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, his son B Y Vijayendra, the BJP state vice president, were making a systematic attempt to divide the dominant Veerashaiva-Lingayat community for their political gain.

‘Whenever Yediyurappa gets an indication from the top that there is a threat to his chair (position), he uses the Veerashaiva-Lingayat issue for his benefit.

His son (Vijayendra) too does so on similar lines.

They have the ill-intention of not granting OBC status to the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community,’ Yatnal told reporters in Tumakuru.

He alleged that Vijayendra and Minister Murugesh Nirani were trying to systematically divide the community and said they would never succeed.

Yatnal has often been taking part in the agitation by Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami of Kudalsangama mutt for OBC (2A category) status to the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community.

The seer last week started on a padayatra from Kudalasangama to Bengaluru to press for the demand and is supported by various seers and leaders of the Veerashaiva and Lingayat communities.

Yatnal alleged that Yediyurappa, a Lingayat himself, was not keen on granting 2A status to the community.

The Vijayapura MLA said no government order has been issued or a gazette notification published on the OBC-2A status to the Lingayat-Veerashaiva community.

To a question on the show cause notice issued by the BJP high command for speaking against the Chief Minister and others, he said he was yet to receive it.

He alleged that issuing the notice was part of a false propaganda to stop other BJP MLAs from speaking.

Yatnal has been up in arms against the Chief Minister and his son Vijayendra and has even said that Yediyurappa would be ‘removed’ from his position shortly.

Yatnal’s outburst against the CM intensified after the cabinet expansion when he was not included in it,despite being a senior party functionary and a former union minister.