B.S. Yediyurappa became Karnataka CM when 17 MLAs of the then ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition switched sides to the BJP. That was last July. Six months later, he is potentially facing a similar problem. Not taking it lying down, he threatened to resign after a Lingayat seer warned that the community will leave him if a BJP MLA from the community is not made a minister during the upcoming cabinet expansion.
Vachanananda Swami’s warning came in the presence of the CM, who is awaiting the high command’s nod to expand his cabinet, amid intense lobbying by ministerial aspirants. “Chief minister, you are a good person, Murugesh Nirani (Lingayat MLA) has helped you a lot, he has stood by you.... If you leave his hands this time, the united Panchamasali community will leave your hands,” the seer said. A visibly upset Yediyurappa, who was seated next to the seer, rose and threatened to leave the stage. “If you speak like this, I will go away,,,, What are you speaking...kindly pardon me, I will leave, you should not speak like this. If you speak like this, I can’t work…. You can give me suggestions, you cannot threaten me,” Yediyurappa said. Nirani, MLA from Bilgi, was also seated on the stage when the incident occurred.
