Karnataka: Yediyurappa regrets spat with seer

BENGALURU: A day after Panchamasali Mutt seer Vachananand Swami apologised for the public spat with BS Yediyurappa on ministerial berths to Lingayats, the chief minister also said he regretted the incident.
“If anyone was hurt because of what I said that day, I express my regrets,” Yediyurappa said. “Vachananand Swami’s comments were quite natural. There will always be such pressure on the government.There is no need to debate it further.”
At a public function on Tuesday, the seer had demanded ministerial posts for at least three Panchamasali Lingayats. He also warned the CM that if his demand was not met, the entire Panchamasali community would desert him. Incensed, Yediyurappa had berated the seer. After he was roundly criticised by fellow seers and some MLAs, Vachananand apologised for his behavior “As CM, it is my duty to take everybody along,” Yediyurappa said in a statement on Thursday. “Religious heads and seers of all mutts treat me with love and respect. They have confidence in me. It is this love and lenience which sometimes leads to such incidents. All are mine and I believe in this preaching of Basavanna. I hope the blessings of swamijis and seers will always be there for me.”