BJP names B.Y Vijayendra as Karnataka state unit president
New Delhi, Nov 10: The BJP on Friday appointed Vijayendra Yediyurappa, the son of former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa, its state unit president, a surprise move that underscores the party leadership's acknowledgement of the veteran Lingayat leader's enduring influence on its fortunes.
Vijayendra, who was elected as an MLA in the assembly polls held earlier this year, is seen as a deft organisational leader and replaces Nalinkumar Kateel.
The appointment of the 47-year-old leader, seen as the political heir to Yediyurappa, ends months of speculation as a change of guard in the state was widely expected since the BJP suffered a big defeat to the Congress in the polls held in May.
Though it was always a strong probability that the BJP will pick a Lingayat leader to lead its state unit but its decision to pick the first-time MLA ignoring the dynastic plank, something it has used to target rivals, has highlighted the political importance his father continues to wield despite being eased out of electoral politics by the party.
His elder son B Y Raghavendra is a Lok Sabha MP and the BJP has often tried to ensure that it is not seen encouraging more than one member of a family in politics.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
