Bengaluru, Feb 29: A Lingayat seer on Friday threatened to get 10 BJP MLAs to quit if Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa does not make MLA Dattatreya Patil Revoor a minister soon.
"If Yediyurappa does not make BJP's Gulbarga South MLA Dattatreya Patil Revoor a minister, I will get 10 ruling party legislators resign and reduce the government to a minority, forcing the Chief Minister to resign," said Srishaila Saranga mutt seer Deshikendra Swami at a meeting in Kalaburagi on Friday.
Addressing a gathering of the Lingayat community, to which Revoor belongs, the seer said although he wanted Yediyurappa to complete the remaining 3-year term in office and the BJP to return to power after the next elections, it would be difficult for Yediyurappa to continue if Revoor is not made a minister.
"Yediyurappa will be in office for the next three years if he makes Revoor minister. If not, I will ask him (latter) also to resign, as does not need to be in politics anymore because he has a house, many acres of agricultural land and is very rich," the seer told the gathering in Kannada.
In his nomination to contest in the May 2018 assembly elections, Revoor (37) declared in an affidavit Rs 17-crore assets, including immovable properties.
Wishing Yediyurappa to remain in office for the next three years and return as Chief Minister, the seer said if Yediyurappa is forced to quit, then the Lingayat community would not get an opportunity to have its leader as Chief Minister again for at least 30 years.
Yediyurappa, whose constituency is Shikaripura in Shivamogga district, is considered the tallest Lingayat leader of the politically powerful community, which accounts for 18% of the 6.5-crore state's population.
Though a dozen BJP legislators won from the erstwhile Hyderabad-Karnataka region in the May 2018 Assembly elections, only Prabhu Chauhan from the adjacent Bidar district was made minister for animal husbandry.
The Saranga mutt seer’s threat comes a month after Veerashaiva Lingayat Panchamasali seer Swami Vachananda, dared Yediyurappa to make 3 of the community legislators ministers ahead of the second cabinet expansion on February 6.
At a Lingayat gathering in the state's Davengere district on January 15, Vachananda told Yediyurappa to make party's Bilgi legislator Murgesh Nirani Minister, failing which the community would withdraw its support to the ruling party.
Hiryur is about 300km northwest of the southern state's capital Bengaluru.
Ticking off the young seer, a defiant Yediyurappa, however, threatened to walk out of the meeting if he was blackmailed for making Lingayat MLAs ministers.
"You cannot threaten me saying your sub-sect (Veera Shaiva) community would not support the BJP in the next assembly or Lok Saba elections, due in 2023 and 2024," retorted Yediyurappa, reasserting his status as the community's strongman in the state.
In the second cabinet expansion, only 10 newly elected legislators who defected from the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) were made ministers, leaving 6 posts vacant in the 34-member ministry.
In the first cabinet expansion on August 20, 2019, 17 party legislators were made ministers. Nirani and others, who were present on the dais, pacified Yediyurappa to take his seat and requested the seer to avoid making political speech on such occasions.
"The chief minister threatened to resign than succumb to pressures from religious or community followers," a party official told media.
The decision was taken by chief minister Siddaramiah, who was looking for a competent and active minister to handle the department of Food and Civil Supplies, after the departure of Dinesh Gundu Rao.
Comments
I am a APL card holder. When we get ration coupons, in coupons for APL 5 kg rice and 5 kg wheat. When we go to ration shop if we say i do not want wheat only 5 kg rice they do not give. They says if you want rice you should take wheat also. Other wise change in your coupon for rice only. But we can not change only rice.
Kindly tell what is the procedure for only rice and no wheat for me.
Sir,
There is shortage of Non subsidised Commercial L.P.Gas cylinder of 19 Kg capacity in the market as HPCL has stopped giving new cylinders to the dealers since past 6 months.
The reason stated is that the turnaround ratio is less than 1 per month.
It is very surprising stand in the open market regime and HPCL has no ground to take such decision in general. The new release is stopped to those dealers who has more than 1 turnaround per month.
Black marketing of commercial cylinders is now a reality.Thanks to HPCL !!!
You are requested to appraise our food minister to manage this issue and oblige.
Regards
Not a good move by CM....Let's see....
Good Move... UTK did better as health minister...
He should also improve the food and civil dept. too... Lets wait before we criticize
this siddu dont have any work to do, Ut khader has done very good job in the field of health all the best for your future work.
One of the biggest blunders of Siddu govt. Outsider Siddu is helping his cheddi dost Ramesh Kumar
New minister in health department has nothing to do. all works are completed my Mr Khader. new one has to just eat, sleep and pose for pics.
congrates. but sad that health dept will be corrupted from today.
congratulation UT Khader, we all NRI's know that u have the capabilty to work in any sector, keep up your good work, lets c what u can do in food and civil supply, being health minister u have given good service as we all know.
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