Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s statement on Sunday that running the government was like a tightrope walk, attracted criticism and tongue-in-cheek remarks from the Opposition camp, with two former Chief Ministers taking digs at him.
Mr. Yediyurappa, meanwhile, sought to play down the controversy.
Leader of the Congress Legislative Party Siddaramaiah said Mr. Yediyurappa should resign instead of struggling on the tightrope. “Why should he walk on the tightrope? There is a good chance that he will fall down. Let him resign... I feel sorry for him. His wings are being cut in the party,” he said, while addressing the media on the outskirts of Raichur on Monday morning. He was visiting flood-hit areas in Raichur district.
JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy took to Twitter.
He urged Mr. Yediyurappa to consider the plight of flood victims even as he walked on the tightrope. “People will themselves get you off the rope if you cannot help rebuild lives of those who have lost their hearth and home in the floods,” he tweeted.
No political meaning
Mr. Yediyurappa, at Shivamogga, said that political meanings should not be attributed to his statement. “When members of a Veerashaiva-Lingayat organisation submitted a memorandum in Davangere seeking funds for development works, I told them that as I was receiving similar requests from other communities too, and it was difficult to meet the expectations of all. In that context I said that running the government was like walking on a tightrope,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Revenue Minister R. Ashok threw his lot behind Mr. Yediyurappa. “We do not know the context in which Mr. Yediyurappa made such a statement. We are all with him and he will complete the full term of remaining three-and-half years as Chief Minister,” Mr. Ashok told reporters here. However, he refused to comment on the alleged rift between Mr. Yediyurappa and BJP State president Nalin Kumar Kateel.
Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affair and Minor Irrigation J.C. Madhuswamy and Minister for Large and Medium Industries Jagadish Shettar declined to comment on the ‘tightrope walk’ statement. At Hubballi, they said they did not know in what context the Chief Minister had made the statement.
Significance
The statement has gained significance in a context where there is an increasing sense that the Chief Minister has been having a tough time in ensuring that his decisions are honoured in the party. Mr. Yediyurappa not having a say in deciding cabinet berths and “helplessness” in getting flood relief from the Centre have been cited by the Opposition as indications of this.
