SHIVAMOGGA: Karnataka BJP vice-president and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa’s son B Y Vijayendra, who got the party ticket from Shikaripura, on Wednesday hit out at Congress for creating a divide in the Lingayat community and assured that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP enjoy the full support of the community.
This comes after Jagadish Shettar became the second senior leader from the Lingayat community to leave the ruling BJP and join Congress in less than a week. Former Deputy CM Laxman Savadi joined the Congress last Friday.
Vijayendra said, “People in Karnataka know who has ditched the Lingayat community. Everyone knows that it was the Congress party that fought against the Lingayat community. So, I am confident that not only the Lingayat community, but every section of other communities will support BJP and they will support Narendra Modi ji”.
“The Lingayat community is not with the family, but with BJP. Of course we are happy and proud that they have trusted Yediyurappa’s leadership and, at the same time, they trust PM Narendra Modi ji’s leadership also. The community is strongly behind BJP and the Prime Minister”, he added.
Accusing the Congress of corruption and denying the party’s 40 per cent government allegations, Vijayendra said, “As far as corruption is concerned, the people of Karnataka and the rest of the country know about the doings of the Congress party. Everyone knows what’s to see the double-engine government as they want to prosper under the dynamic leadership of PM Modi as well as BJP Karnataka”.
Exuding happiness over contesting his first election from Shikaripura, Vijayendra said, “Shikaripura constituency is important for BJP. For the past 40 years, the constituency has been blessing my father Yediyurappa ji. I am happy that I will be contesting my first election from this constituency”.
“People of Karnataka trust PM Modi ji’s leadership. All the leaders of the BJP in Karnataka are working together. I have full faith that BJP will be elected with full majority in the state once again”, he added.
On contesting the forthcoming elections without Yediyurappa, he said, “This is a challenge in front of the BJP. This is because it is the first time that we are contesting the elections without Yediyurappa ji. Despite the resignation, Yediyurappa is leading from the front, so we believe that under his leadership, and the leadership of CM Basavaraj Bommai, we will come back to power in Karnataka”.
Accusing the Congress of creating a divide in the Lingayat community, he said, “It’s nothing new for Congress party. If you see, when Siddaramaiah was CM of Karnataka and when he completed his five years, everyone thought that Congress is going to come back to power. But when they saw that they are not going to come back to power because of Yediyurappa ji and BJP, they created a divide in the Lingayat community. Congress can stoop to any level”.
BJP national president J P Nadda on Tuesday evening slammed the Congress saying that the party divided the country for seven decades is now itself divided. “In the 70 years of Congress (rule) there was division, division, division and only division. Divide society as much as you can — north-south, language, caste, creed, religion. The fact is, by dividing and dividing, they themselves are divided now. The BJP is unity in diversity”, Nadda said.
Nadda’s stinging remarks came while interacting with intellectuals at BVB Engineering College Auditorium, Vidhya Nagar, in the city.
BJP president JP Nadda, who was in Karnataka, attacked the Congress on Tuesday accusing its leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of being a “patron” of PFI. “Former CM Siddaramaiah from Congress party withdrew cases against PFI, released 1,700 PFI activists from jail…Siddaramaiah is their patron…”, Nadda said in Hubballi. The Centre banned the Popular Front of India (PFI) in September last year.
The Congress on Tuesday announced its candidate against Chief Minister Bommai from Shiggaon. The party has fielded Mohammed Yousuf Savanur from the seat. The party announced seven candidates on Tuesday and fielded former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar from Hubli-Dharwad Central. (ANI)