Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa's name deserves to be written in golden letters while narrating the history of the BJP in South India, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah, adding that the veteran BJP leader should continue to guide the party in the State.

He was speaking after inaugurating ‘BSY Abhimantosava’, an event organised to commemorate Mr. Yediyurappa’s 50 years in public life in Chitradurga on Saturday.

From Kolkata

Mr. Shah, who travelled to Chitradurga after taking part in the oath-taking ceremony of the new Chief Minister of West Bengal in Kolkata, described Saturday as a significant day for the BJP. “We won the West Bengal elections with a thumping majority and a BJP Chief Minister has taken oath for the first time in West Bengal today. And this is the day we are celebrating 50 years of Mr. Yediyurappa’s public life,” he said.

Mr. Shah recalled the efforts that Mr. Yediyurappa put in to bring the party to power in South India for the first time.

Mr. Shah described Mr. Yediyurappa as a politician who built his own path in politics. Recalling that he campaigned in the State in three elections with Mr. Yediyurappa, Mr. Shah said he had noticed that the former Chief Minister would always keep a diary in his pocket in which he would record the problems of people that he noticed during his travels.

Common man to CM

Mr. Yediyurappa, accepting the felicitation, stated that he was thankful to people of the State for their love and support all these years. Being a common man from Shikaripur, he never dreamt of becoming the Chief Minister. Presenting the special Budget for agriculture and launching the Bhagyalakshmi scheme were the most satisfying decisions of his tenure, he said.

He maintained that the country required the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for another 10 years to realise the dream of building a strong India. He stated he would not take rest, but would travel across the State and work to strengthen the party.

BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra, praising the gathering of thousands of people from different parts of the State, stated that the huge response from the public conveyed that Mr. Yediyurappa was still a popular leader, even six years after he stepped down as Chief Minister.

Seers of prominent mutts, former Chief Ministers D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Jagadish Shettar, Basavaraj Bommai, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, V. Somanna, Shobha Karandlaje, and scores of BJP leaders were present on the occasion.

Seers of backward classes allege discrimination

While scores of seers attended the ‘BSY Abhimanotsava’, a group of seers of the Atihinduliga Mathadishara Mahasabha have alleged that those representing the most backward classes were “insulted” by the organisers.

Basavanagideva Swamy, the national president of the mahasabha, Pranavananda Swamy, State president, and a few others held a press conference to allege that they were invited to the event, but they not treated on par with others who were honoured on the main stage.

Basavanagideva Swamy of Chalavadi Peetha said: “At the venue, the police officers said that my name was not on the list of invitees to be allowed on the main dais. This is an insult to the community I represent. The same has happened with several seers of the most backward classes”.

Pranavanand Swamy said that the seers of most backward castes were seated in a corner, far from the main dais. “There was a glaring difference in treating the seers of dominant castes and the backward classes.” he alleged.

Among the prominent seers who were present included Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swamy of Pejawar mutt, Shivamurthy Shivacharya of Sirigere Mutt, Veerasomeshwara Shivacharya Swamy of Rambhapuri Mutt, Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamy of Suttur Mutt, Abhinava Charukeerthi Bhattaraka Swamy of Shravanabelagola, Basavamurthy Madara Chennaiah Swamy of Chitradurga, among others.

A memorial for Madakari in Chitradurga

Recalling the bravery and sacrifice of Madakari Nayaka, the ruler of Chitradurga, Mr. Shah said that the Narendra Modi-led Centre will fulfil the promise of building a theme park in memory of Madakari Nayaka in Chitradurga. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Shah said that during his campaign in Chitradurga ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, he had promised the people of Chitradurga that if his party returned to power, a memorial of Madakari Nayaka would be built in Chitradurga. “Our party did not come to power. However, we will do it under the leadership of Mr. Modi,” he stated.