Bangalore: The state governor Hans Raj Bhardwaj is primarily a politician, then an administrator. Of course he is not a Judge, though he was Union Minister for 15 years but not in the same class as Dr. Ambedkar. Bhardwaj has concern for common man but cannot overcome CM Yeddyurappa’s tactful and often childish activists, or pronouncements. He is practically fed up with Bookanakere Yeddyurappa as a CM for 3 years now.
This when a new modern BJP state office is completed near Kadumalleshwara shrine on 15th cross, Malleshwaram, waiting to be inaugurated by L.K Advani. The only BJP leader who is not in the state group is Hubli-based Jagadish Shettar, who is dreaming about becoming CM, next step, somewhat like Kiran Kumar Reddy of Andhra.
So Hans Raj and Jagadish Shettar get together and discuss state affairs like birds of the same feathers coming together on the lawns of Raj Bhawan for 30 minutes, finding ways and means to discharge CM from his chair.
This meeting happened on Tuesday when the Karnataka leaders rushed to have a special darshana of Satya Baba’s body in a glass case.
Governor cheerfully spoke to Shettar and even went to the car by which Shettar left after the talks. But Shettar is not the suitable candidate for a replacement, nor K.S Ishwarappa who returned to CM’s camp after flirting with the dissidents led by the wily Ananthkumar who is unfit even to be minister in the Centre or the state.
Shettar is able to get along with the Governor, but shuns group and dissidence. However he does not approve of CM’s corrupt practices of nepotism and land-grab deals, or even misuse of flood relief funds meant for housing Lingayat sufferers in North Karnataka since Oct 2009. CM’s stars are good and gods appear to protect him by picking him out of fire rings. It is a pity that there is no second leader in Karnataka if you set aside Yeddyurappa, or else he would have left after 20 months of CM’ship. When will Hans Raj understand this plain factor?