News Analysis “Please and Praise BSY; Brand Congress as anti-Lingayat; keep Lingayats in good humour on its right side” BJP strategy

……. S. A. Hemanth………
Bengaluru, February 28: It is not without reason Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaped encomiums on BJP supremo B. S.Yediyurappa during the inauguration of the new Airport at Shimoga on Sunday. Of Course, it was Yediyurappa’s 80th birthday and quite natural for Modi to say a few good words about the Lingayat strongman.

However, there is also a “political purpose and electoral compulsion” for the BJP in general and Modi in particular to keep Yediyurappa in good humour. Yediyurappa is the tallest mass leader and numero uno of the politically-crucial and electorally-vital Lingayat community. It is political and electoral necessity to keep that community on the right side. It is for this reason and compulsion the BJP leaders, starting from Modi, walked that extra mile in showing their respect to Yediyurappa.

Modi did not stop at just praising Yediyurappa. At Belgaum, the Prime Minister sought to brand Congress as anti-Lingayat by raking up the names of S.Nijalingappa and Veerendra Patil. “The Congress insulted both Nijaligappa and Veerendra Patil,” Modi said, to the utter surprise of those who were present in the meeting as well as the keen political observers.

It goes without saying that the then Smt Indira Gandhi had a running feud with S. Nijalingappa, who was the Congress President and whom Indira never liked. Indira’s son Rajiv Gandhi, in his capacity as AICC President, ignominiously removed Veerendra Patil from the post of Chief Minister in November 1990.
It was a clever attempt on the part of Modi to remind the Lingayat community of the insult heaped on two Lingayat stalwarts by the Congress party, along with keeping Yediyurappa in good humour.

It was a brilliant and calculated exercise by Modi to keep the Lingayat community in good humour which he performed with his characteristic aplomb and with deftness. By doing so, Modi has sent a message not only to the Lingayat community but also to his party leader and cadre also that they cannot ignore Yediyurappa and it is imperative to keep him in good books.
EOM