AMIDST the bitterness ahead of the Karnataka elections due months from now, the state Assembly saw a moment of rare camaraderie as one of its oldest members bid farewell to his long innings as MLA. In his speech on the final day of the last Assembly session before the next House is elected, eight-term BJP MLA and four-time Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa thanked the RSS and voters in his Shikaripura constituency, but also his two biggest rivals in the Opposition camp. Yediyurappa, who hopes to pass on the baton as MLA to his younger son, had earlier announced on February 22 that he will not be contesting the coming elections. The two leaders who came in for special mention in his speech were former prime minister H D Deve Gowda of the JD(S) and ex-CM Siddaramaiah of the Congress. Siddaramaiah particularly has been the target of vicious attacks by BJP leaders in campaign speeches, while the party has accused the JD(S) of being a B-team of the Congress. On Friday, Yediyurappa spoke of Deve Gowda as “the perfect example for all of us (legislators)”. “It is not a small thing that even today he thinks about the issues of the state and the country, and at his age (89), provides guidance (on the same). There is no brighter example for us to follow. There is a lot one can learn from Deve Gowda," he said. About Siddaramaiah, Yediyurappa said: "The Opposition has also worked hard. I do not know how to express appreciation for Siddaramaiah (the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly). When he stands in the House (to speak), it is always after a lot of study and research. The way he puts things forward must be appreciated.” The BJP leader also made a mention of A T Ramaswamy, a JD(S) veteran, saying there are others “who are also perfect examples of legislators" and must be appreciated. While announcing the end of his career as an MLA on February 20, Yediyurappa said: "On February 27, I will be turning 80. On this special occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting for the inauguration of the Shivamogga airport (Shivamogga is Yediyurappa's home district). He insisted that he would carry out the inauguration on my birthday. It gives me a lot of satisfaction.” Having once exited the BJP after feeling sidelined, causing the party crucial Lingayat votes, Yediyurappa made it a point to emphasise his eternal commitment to the party despite his exit from the poll fray. "I will continue to work for the BJP until my last breath. My only aim is to travel around the state and bring the BJP to power. I will not use even a minute for myself. The people here should not lose confidence and the BJP will return to power," he said. Reminiscing about his early days building the BJP in Karnataka, Yediyurappa said: "From being a town municipal councillor, I went on to become chief minister. Back in those days, when the roads were not good, I had the fortune of travelling with Atal Bihari Vajpayee across the state. We tried to build the party in this manner. There was nobody with us. When we were first elected to the House, there were only two BJP MLAs. Vasanth Bangera (now with the Congress) left us and I was alone.” He added: "I want to tell the legislators that I never looked back. I sat in the Opposition benches and raised the burning issues and problems in the state. I tried to fight for causes with the utmost honesty.” The former CM said that one of the things that gave him great satisfaction was being able to deliver justice to farmers who were unauthorised cultivators in Shivamogga in the 1990s. "I sat in protest in Shivamogga and in Bengaluru. In the end, a solution was provided by S M Krishna when he was the CM (1999-2004)," Yediyurappa said. He also thanked the RSS, for being instrumental in moulding his character. “The reason for my current stature is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The training and opportunities that I received in the RSS have given me position and fame. I can never forget this.” The one change that Yediyurappa hoped for was to see more women get elected, and urged political parties to facilitate this. Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kaggeri called Yediyurappa a “faithful” and “exemplary” member of the Legislature. "One of our senior most members, Yediyurappa has been in the House since 1983 and has attended the Assembly sessions faithfully," Kaggeri said. As he left the Assembly building for the final time as an MLA, Yediyurappa made two halts: to garland a picture of B R Ambedkar and a statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the premises.
