The 50-year political journey of B. S. Yediyurappa has been marked by an event, a grand “BSY Abhimanotsava” celebrating that 50-year journey, which will be celebrated at Chitradurga on Saturday, where the BJP leaders are sure to see a turnout of more than 10 lakh people.
Many senior BJP leaders and seers, as well as the BJP supporters, are already expected to participate in huge political meetings, with great political chatter having been spread across the entire state of Karnataka from the mega event. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also slated to present the programme at the celebration, helping with the importance of the programme.
The BJP MP B. Y. Raghavendra went on to compliment Yediyurappa on his role in Karnataka politics in Davanagere in a talk to a few reporters and described the celebration of his five decades of public life. Yediyurappa succeeded in converting Hindutva ideology into the masses and won public-specific patronage in the communities, noted Raghavendra.
He also pointed out Yediyurappa’s involvement in various struggles, including the land rights movement under Bagair Hukum, which he noted had helped the veteran leader gain support from Dalit communities as well. One of the most refreshing things about Yediyurappa’s track record as a politician is how he developed an in-house grassroots organisation, within the BJP apparatus itself, Raghavendra said. Yediyurappa, he said, even after facing both internal opposition and political challenge for years, continued to bolster the party in Karnataka.
"Yediyurappa faced several obstacles and opposition throughout his political career, but he always worked for the organisation and never for selfish reasons," Raghavendra said. He also reacted to recent sentiments of Karnataka minister Satish Jarkiholi that the leaders who removed Yediyurappa from the Chief Minister’s position are now leading the celebrations in his place.
In response, Raghavendra claimed politics can never be permanent and that political expressions should not be taken seriously. He then drew parallels with other parts of the nation, noting that even leaders who had been opposing one another have since fallen in concert. He described Congress leader Rahul Gandhi referring to M. K. Stalin as his “brother,” and also cited recent political developments, including the Congress MLAs in Tamil Nadu supporting TVK. Raghavendra also said that Yediyurappa had ascended the “mountain of achievements” through hard work and perseverance and encouraged crowds to join in large numbers for the Chitradurga celebration.
In the meantime, Yediyurappa himself landed at a private resort in Davanagere ahead of the festivities. The long-serving BJP leader, speaking in an interview to the media, was glad to see party workers and supporters who organise the programme show love and affection towards one another. He went back to his own early years as a politician and described going around Karnataka on a bicycle with the late BJP leader Ananth Kumar to fortify the party on the ground level.
“People understand how the BJP finally came to power from all such actions,” Yediyurappa said. When reporters inquired if the mega celebration would be the BJP’s political launchpad for its 2028 Karnataka Assembly elections, Yediyurappa grinned and replied: “Let us wait and see.”
Political observers feel the large-scale campaign would have become one of the biggest acts of strength for the BJP in Karnataka in the lead-up to future elections. It is anticipated that the programme will rank among the largest political assemblies in the state of the year, attended by top national leaders as well as religious leaders and lakhs of supporters.
