Seer power. Nearly a dozen seers from the Kuruba (shepherd) community have appealed to the BJP high command to appoint a veteran saffron party leader in the state, K.S. Eshwarappa, as the Deputy Chief Minister in the newly sworn-in Karnataka cabinet led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Kuruba is the third biggest community in the state after the politically dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga, forming nearly 8 per cent of the state’s population.
Nearly a dozen Kuruba seers from north Karnataka region, led by Sri Shantamaya Revanasiddeshwara Swamiji, told reporters that the Kuruba community is spread over a large area, from Bidar district in the north of the state to Chamarajnagar district in the south, and Eshwarappa along with former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had worked equally hard to build the BJP’s base in the state.
“Ideally, Eshwarappa should have replaced Yediyurappa, going by his seniority and given his contributions to the party in the state. But with the BJP central leadership choosing another Lingayat to replace him (Yediyurappa), Eshwarappa should at least be made the Deputy Chief Minister in the new dispensation,” the seers demanded.
Another Kuruba seer, Siddayogi Amareshwara Maharaj of Hanamapura Matha, said, “When Yediyurappa was working to unite his community with the BJP, Eshwarappa was working hard to unite the Kurubas across the state. The BJP should not treat Eshwarappa in an unfair manner.”
Sri Malingaraya Maharaj of Hulajanti Matha said that the BJP should have made Eshwarappa the Chief Minister at least once, given that his contemporary (Yediyurappa) got four chances at the helm of the state and was even allowed to choose his successor.
During the interaction with the media that lasted for over 90 minutes, the seers highlighted Eshwarappa’s contributions to the BJP’s rise in the state.
Meanwhile, a day after taking charge as the 30th Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai made a short visit to his hometown in Hubballi, enroute his trip to the flood-hit Uttara Kannada district.
On reaching Hubballi, Bommai first went to ‘Keshav Kunj’, the office of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Hubballi, before visitings his parents’ ‘samadhis’ (memorials) in Amargol, a village located between the twin cities of Hubballi and Dharwad.
After offering floral tributes at the ‘samadhis’ of his parents — former Karnataka Chief Minister S.R. Bommai and Gangamma Bommai — the newly-appointed CM told reporters that his parents’ blessings mattered to him the most.
“Soon after being sworn-in (as Karnataka CM), I have come here to seek their blessings,” Bommai said.
Prior to the visit to his parents’ memorials, Bommai headed straight to Keshav Kunj, soon after landing at the Hubballi airport.
There he garlanded the bust of RSS founder Keshav Hedgewar before offering floral tributes to a portrait of ‘Bharat Mata’.
He was greeted by senior RSS functionaries led by Akhil Bharat Vyvastha Pramukh Mangesh Bhende and others at the RSS office.
Bommai was felicitated by Nagar Sangh Chalak, Shivanand Avati; Uttar Prant Sanchalak of Kutumb Prabhodhan, P.R. Nagaraj; Divisional Secretary, Kiran Guddadakeri; President of Seva Bharati, Raghu Akmanchi; Vibhag Prabhari, Jayateerth Katti; and BJP Mahanagar Zilla President, Umesh Dushi, among others.
After his visit to his parents’ memorials, Bommai called on Lingayat seer Sri Veerasomeshwara Shivacharya Swami of Rambhapuri Peetha at Rambhapuri Kalyanmantap in Hubballi and sought his blessings, before proceeding to Uttar Kannada. (IANS)