With Karnataka's political circles abuzz amid speculations of a possible leadership change in the state, indicating that the Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to replace Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa with a "younger face", the 78-year-old BJP veteran said the party is "like mother" for him.

       "I am privileged to be a loyal worker of BJP. It is my utmost honour to serve the party with highest standards of ethics & behaviour. I urge everyone to act in accordance with party ethics & not indulge in protests/indiscipline that is disrespectful & embarrassing for the party," tweeted Yediyurappa.

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       The Karnataka chief minister urged his supporters and well-wishers to not indulge in any kind of protests or indiscipline that is disrespectful and may embarrass the BJP amid speculation that his replacement was on the cards.

       Urging his supporters to not indulge in protests, Yediyurappa in a Kannada tweet said, "Your goodwill should not exceed the boundaries of discipline. Party is like a mother to me and disrespecting it will cause pain to me.I believe that my true well-wishers will understand and respond to my feelings."

       I am privileged to be a loyal worker of BJP. It is my utmost honour to serve the party with highest standards of ethics & behaviour. I urge everyone to act in accordance with party ethics & not indulge in protests/indiscipline that is disrespectful & embarrassing for the party.

       — B.S. Yediyurappa (@BSYBJP) July 21, 2021

       Yediyurappa's tweets came as support continued to pour in for him from Mutts, pontiffs, and political leaders.

       Leaders and pontiffs, especially from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, also All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, have declared support to Yediyurappa and have urged for his continuation as the Chief Minister, while also warning "bad consequences" for the BJP if he is replaced.

       The political and religious leaders of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, which comprises 16% of Karnataka's population and is seen as the BJP's big support base in the state, are backing the Chief Minister.

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       CM Yediyurappa, who is completing two years in office on 26 July, had visited the national capital last week, during which he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP chief JP Nadda.

       The trip raised questions in some quarters if the party is now working out a succession plan.

       On his return from Delhi, CM Yediyurappa had, however, rubbished talks in some quarters that he is on the way out, and asserted that the central leadership has asked him to continue in the post.

       CM Yediyurappa's dinner for BJP legislators, which was scheduled to take place on 25 July, to mark his government completing two years in office, has been postponed, according to a PTI report.

       With agency inputs

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