The BJP is at a crossroads in Karnataka. There is a sim-mering leadership crisis and frequent rebellion against Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who is still the only mass leader in the party. The spotlight is also on his younger son, B.Y. Vijayendra, nicknamed “Super CM” by the opposition parties and Yediyurappa baiters within the BJP. They allege that he is a parallel power centre in the state, misuses his closeness to Yediyurappa and even side-lines his father at times.
A law graduate, Vijayendra, 45, entered politics only in 2018; his elder brother B.Y. Raghavendra is a two-time MP from Shimoga.
In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Vijayendra shares his anguish of being “wrongly targeted” for being the chief minister’s son, and claims that the allegations against him were the continuation of a political witch-hunt of his family that started during Yediyurappa’s first term as chief minister. Excerpts:
Some leaders of your party have called you “Super CM”.
I am only a protective son. Our family has endured a lot of pain during my father’s first stint as chief minister (2008 to 2011), and I am only trying to shield him from being targeted again. As a son, I wish to see my father retire as a statesman, because he is one.
Whom are you protecting him from?
I have seen how things went horribly wrong in 2011. We were slapped with 38 criminal cases. Barring one—the Rachenahalli land denotification case, which was an oversight—all other cases were frivolous and were meant to weaken Yediyurappa politically. His opponents knew that by breaking him, they could break the BJP.
Denne historien er fra July 18, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 18, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
