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‘Rahul Gandhi will become prime minister’, predicts Lingayat Mutt seer ; later caveats it!

Chitradurga: A seer at a Lingayat seminary in Karnataka predicted that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would become Prime Minister, but the head seer intervened and added a condition to the prediction. Mr Gandhi was in a meeting with the seers at Sri Murugarajendra Mutt in Chitradurga when one of them, Haveri Hosamutt Swami, referred to his grandmother and father — both of whom remained Prime Ministers — and said, ‘Indira Gandhiji was PM, Rajiv Gandhi was PM, and now Rahul Gandhi has been initiated into the Lingayat sect, and he will become PM’.

The president of the institution, Sri Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, interrupted and added, ‘Please refrain from saying this… This is not the appropriate platform. People will make their choice’. Earlier, the sect’s head seer ceremonially initiated Rahul Gandhi. Lingayats, who make up roughly 17% of Karnataka’s population, have traditionally voted for the BJP. The Congress hopes to broaden its appeal with Mr. Gandhi’s visit to the poll-bound state. Elections are scheduled for May of next year, and the Congress is struggling to put up a united front in its attempt to dethrone the BJP.

DK Shivakumar, Karnataka Congress chief, and Rahul Gandhi at the Sri Murugarajendra Mutt in Chitradurga. After being in power from 2013 to 2018, Congress formed a coalition government with the Janata Dal in the aftermath of the 2018 elections (Secular). That government, led by JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy, collapsed in just over a year after several coalition MLAs resigned, reducing the coalition to a minority, and the BJP returned to rule the state.

The BJP appointed BS Yediyurappa, a member of the Lingayat community, as Chief Minister at first. Last year, he was replaced by Basavaraj Bommai, another member of the same community. Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are both candidates for CM if the party wins power. The decision will be made by the party’s new MLAs and the high command will decide on the leader after winning.

It was the committee’s first meeting since its formation on July 9 and it was attended by senior party leaders including Rahul Gandhi and KV Venugopal. Mr. Gandhi urged party leaders to fight the BJP’s misrule in Karnataka and at the national level aggressively and unitedly. It has been unanimously decided not to speak publicly about internal matters.

 

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