Mysore/Mysuru: With rumours of  BJP  High Command seriously considering replacement of B.S. Yediyurappa (BSY) as Chief Minister doing the rounds of late, BJP MLC A.H. Vishwanath has urged the Chief Minister to make an honourable exit and ask the Seers not to hit the streets in his support.

Addressing a press meet at Pathrakarthara Bhavan here this morning, Vishwanath took strong objections to several Lingayat Mutt Seers coming out in support of  Yediyurappa, who belongs to Lingayat community. 

Ridiculing the Swamijis for coming to the rescue of an individual and a party, at a time when they are supposed to work towards the betterment of the society during the COVID-19 pandemic and other serious issues, the MLC said that the Seers must read Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s Constitution in order to better understand  the principles advocated by the revolutionary social reformer Basavanna, who belonged to Lingayat community.

Observing that the Seers must have forgotten Basavanna, who stood for social justice and gender equality all throughout his life, Vishwanath said it is shameful that the Seers, who are supposed to correct the wrongs of the society, have hit the streets in support of a man (BSY) who is on the wrong side of the law, by indulging in corruption, family politics and other irregularities. 

Lashing out at the Seers for  advocating that the BJP would not survive without BSY, Vishwanath said that just like a Mutt appoints a successor if the incumbent Seer passes away, the BJP too will replace BSY with an able leader, who can take forward the party to much higher levels. 

Alleging that BSY is only a namesake CM, with his son Vijayendra running the Government in proxy,  the MLC in a sarcastic note said that the words scripted on the Vidhana Soudha “Government’s work is God’s work” must now be replaced by “Government’s work is Swamiji’s work.” 

Urging Yediyurappa to make an honourable exit, the MLC maintained that the Seers were making his exit more complex.

Referring to the 17 MLAs who defected from their parties to bring down the then JD(S)-Congress coalition Government in 2019, Vishwanath argued that they had defected in order to bring a better Government to power. 

“But unfortunately the BSY Government has gone in the wrong direction. It is regretful that the 17 MLAs, who are known as ‘Bombay team’ and who belonged to different castes, have remained a silent spectator to the wrong deeds of the CM and his son. The silence of these MLAs raises suspicion that they too may be part of illegal deals and other forms of  corruption in the Government. As such, none of the ‘Bombay team’ members should be included in the next BJP Cabinet that will be formed once Yediyurappa is asked to quit by the Party High Command,” he remarked.