Minister for Tourism C.P. Yogeshwar on Sunday likened the Chief Minister’s position to that of the Dasara elephant carrying the golden howdah and indirectly revived the debate for leadership change in the State by saying the lead Dasara elephant is never permanent.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru after calling on veteran politician and BJP MP representing Chamarajanagar V. Srinivas Prasad at his residence, Mr. Yogeshwar said people respect the howdah, which carries the deity of Chamundeshwari. Hence, the Chief Minister should be a capable person, possessing sensibilities and high ideals to meet the aspirations of the people. “For the elephant carrying the howdah, it is not just the weight [of the howdah] that is important; successfully reaching the destination is equally important,” he said, before remarking that the lead Dasara elephant has often been replaced.
Mr. Yogeshwar said the jumbos Arjuna, Abhimanyu, and Balarama have all carried the golden howdah. “Just because the lead elephant carries the howdah, we can’t have its calf do the same,” he said, in an apparent taunt at B.S. Yediyurappa’s son B.Y. Vijayendra.
However, he also said he would not like to speak about Mr. Vijayendra as he does not have a post in the government.
The Tourism Minister said Karnataka was well known for elephants and tigers and there would be no difficulty in finding a capable elephant to carry the howdah. “By the time Dasara comes, the party high command will find a capable elephant to carry the howdah,” he said.
‘Not against BSY’
At the same time, Mr. Yogeshwar also said he should not be projected as a person against Mr. Yediyurappa. “He has made me a Minister and I am serving in his government.” He also said he had strived enough to make Mr. Yediyurappa Chief Minister, but his contributions were being pushed under the carpet.
Expressing disappointment with the government, Mr. Yogeshwar said Opposition leaders were calling the shots in the administration in certain aspects, referring to the delimitation and reservation of zilla panchayat and taluk panchayat constituencies. To a question, he said the government had accommodated former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s requests during such an exercise.
With regard to former Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, he said Mr. Jarkiholi had become a victim of a conspiracy hatched against him. “Deliberately, the probe into the sex scandal has been prolonged,” he said, claiming that Mr. Jarkiholi was waiting for an opportune moment to make his next move.
