'Only a Lingayat leader should replace BSY if current CM is removed from his post'

Bengaluru: Days after Basanagouda Patil Yatnal claimed that BS Yediyurappa will not be Chief Minister for long and his successor will be from north Karnataka, the Lingayat-Veerashaiva Coordination Forum demanded the BJP high command to offer the seat to only a strong Lingaya candidate if the current CM is removed from his position.

On Sunday, November 1 a meeting of Lingayat-Veerashaiva Coordination Forum was chaired by a former judge of the state high court, Justice Ashok B Hinchigeri at Rangabharana Kala Kendra. It the meeting it was discussed that already the community is split into factions and therefore they might lose the CM’s post, thus they decided to dump factionalism, and unite.

“In the past, Yediyurappa was accepted as the leader of the community when the JD(S) betrayed him. Now, under the changed political scenario, there is the chance of Yediyurappa being asked to step down from his post. If this happens, the post he vacates should be given to a leader from this community,” the Forum demanded.

“BJP leaders Jagadish Shettar, Basavarj Bommai, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, and others are in the list of aspirants for the post. In Congress, M B Patil has been identified as a leader of the eminence. In the past, S Nijalingappa, Veerendra Patil, B D Jatti, S R Kanti, J H Patel, and S R Bommai became chief ministers and held the values high. Nowadays we are losing this eminence. We have to ensure that none of the people with blemishes enter any of the parties,” the leaders opined.

It was decided to hold a meeting of the Guru-Vrakta Swamiji and leaders at Bengaluru shortly. Mallikarjuna Devaru of Sarpabhushana Math, senior advocate,Gangadhar Gurumath, Halanur Lepakshi and others were present at the meeting.