Lingayat seers try to broker truce between BSY, Shettar

Bangalore, Jan 31: Seers of influential Lingayat mutts are understood to have been trying hard to broker a truce between KJP leader B S Yeddyurappa and Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, both Lingayats, and ensure the latter presents the 2013-14 budget without any glitches.

The seers, especially those belonging to two powerful mutts, are said to be against Yeddyurappa's efforts to reduce the Shettar government to a minority and prevent him from presenting the budget.

A Lingayat leader dislodging the government headed by a fellow Lingayat would send a wrong message to the entire community, which is the largest in the State, sources said.

The seers are of the view that the community has come together after a long time and flaunted its political might in the State.

If Yeddyurappa topples the government, the community might again disintegrate. So, the pontiffs are making efforts to bring peace between the two leaders, sources said.

In the wake of Yeddyurappa loyalists threatening to resign, Shettar had recently met religious leaders of the community and sought their support to present the budget. Yeddyurappa has been projecting himself as the voice of Lingayats and has been on good terms with the religious leaders of the community.

Speculation was rife in the political circles that Yeddyurappa has been convinced by the seers not to make more MLAs loyal to him resign their Assembly membership. Currently, the government has been surviving on a razor-thin majority.

Resignations

As if to corroborate this speculation, Speaker K G Bopaiah did not take up the process of accepting the resignation letter of Yeddyurappa loyalist and Nagathana MLA Vittal Katakadonda on Wednesday, nor did the Yeddyurappa camp press for it.

The Speaker had withheld Katakadonda's resignation letter on technical grounds on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the Speaker left Bangalore for Madikeri to attend a function.

Though Katakadonda had participated in a KJP convention in his home district of Bijapur attended by Yeddyurappa, there was no indication of his resignation.

At the same time, Tarikere MLA D S Suresh, who was to return to Bangalore from Shirdi on Wednesday to submit his resignation letter, continued with his pilgrimage.

Resignation by three more MLAs is sufficient to topple the BJP government, whose strength has been reduced to 108 in the State Assembly after the resignation by 12 MLAs.

The current strength of the Assembly is 211, including the Speaker, and the government needs a minimum of 106 to continue in power. But, the Speaker can vote only in case of a tie.

Guv may not intervene

According to former Advocate General B V Acharya, the Governor can ask the chief minister to prove his majority in the House if he is satisfied that the government does not enjoy majority.

But, in the present situation, the Governor may not intervene as he has already convened the Legislature session from February 4.

Opposition parties will have sufficient opportunities to make the government prove its majority on the floor of the House during the session.