Panchamasali leaders’ slugfest deals a body blow to Karnataka BJP ahead of polls

Both Nirani and Yatnal belong to the Panchamasali community, a sub-sect of the dominant Lingayats. They have not seen eye to eye since early 2021 when Panchamasalis launched their agitation to demand a share of the 15 per cent reservation given to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state instead of a separate five per cent quota allotted to Lingayats.

At a rally held in Bengaluru in February 2021, Yatnal had lashed out at Nirani for not backing the Panchamasali quota agitation. Nirani, along with another minister from the community, CC Patil, had then walked out of the rally. The tussle between Yatnal and Nirani has continued since then, with both the leaders regularly exchanging allegations and counter-allegations over the quota issue.

Their fight took a new turn Sunday after Yatnal wrote to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai seeking a CBI probe into the allegations over a murder case levelled by Nirani against him.

Addressing Yatnal, Nirani had told reporters Saturday, “One of your (Yatnal’s) drivers in the past – his name is Kumar and is a relative of your present driver – was murdered. You should say in front of the media why he was murdered… You should reveal the background of the murder.”

Nirani fired his allegation at Yatnal a day after the latter had allegedly used a lewd remark against him at a rally at Shiggaon in Haveri district, which was held as part of Panchmasalis’ quota stir. Addressing this rally, Yatnal had allegedly called Nirani a “pimp” as he attacked the minister for “stonewalling” the Panchamasali community’s reservation demand.

Yatnal has repeatedly attacked Nirani over the past couple of years, with their slugfest turning more bitter in recent days. Although the state BJP has issued show-cause notices to Yatnal over his remarks against former chief minister BS Yediyurappa and other leaders over the quota stir, the party has been fighting shy of cracking down on him since he is an influential Panchamasali leader who had also been a Union minister.

Recently, Yatnal trained his guns at CM Bommai over the quota issue, projecting himself as a chief ministerial candidate in the upcoming polls. In his reaction, Bommai said the BJP leadership was taking note of Yatnal’s remarks. “They will take the right decision,” the CM told reporters.

The state Congress, which has always been at the receiving end of the BJP’s attacks over its factional feuds, has seized on the Yatnal-Nirani fight to fire salvos at the saffron party. “Bommai does not have control over the government. Comedy king Nalin Kumar Kateel (state BJP president) has no control over the party… When CM cannot control his own ministers and MLAs, can he rule the state,” the Congress asked.

Taking a swipe at the BJP, the Congress has also tweeted if the former could not rein in Yatnal “Whose inability is it? High Command, CM, state president, Amit Shah (or) Modi’s,” it asked, alleging that the ruling party has failed in this regard because “Yatnal was uttering the words of BL Santosh (BJP national general secretary, organisation)”.