Ready to quit, go home: Yediyurappa to Lingayat seer who demanded ministerial berth for MLA

An argument broke out on stage between Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and Panchamasali Mutt seer Vachananda Swami during an event in Haveri.

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Ready to quit, go home: Yediyurappa to Lingayat seer who demanded ministerial berth for MLA
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. (Photo: Facebook/BS Yediyurappa)

Karanataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had a brief altercation with a Lingayat seer during an event in Haveri and said he is ready to quit and go home.

The event was reportedly held on Tuesday.

The argument broke out on stage between Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and Panchamasali Mutt seer Vachananda Swami.

News agency ANI reported that Vachananda Swami had demanded ministerial berth for Murugesh Nirani, saying, "Yediyurappa will lose support of Panchamasali Lingayaths if his demand is not accommodated."

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Lingayats are an influential community and considered major support base of the ruling the BJP in Karnataka.
Responding to the seer's demand, Yediyurappa said, "Seventeen legislators had quit for me to become chief minister. It's their sacrifice and Panchamasali Mutt's blessings with which I have become CM."

He told Vachananda Swami, "You can suggest me how to govern for three years, but if you aren't willing to accept my request, then I'm ready to quit and go home."

Speaking about the incident later on, Yediyurappa said, "There has been no discussion yet about accommodating ministership to Panchamasali Lingayat community."

In the run-up to the Karnataka assembly election in 2018 and the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP had made concerted efforts to woo the Lingayat community in Karnataka and ensure that it supports it.

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