Amit Shah downplays Lingayat, State flag issues

He terms it as Siddaramaiah’s ‘political game plan’

August 14, 2017 11:14 pm | Updated 11:14 pm IST - Bengaluru

Lighter moments:  BJP national president Amit Shah and State unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa at a press conference in Bengaluru on Monday.

Lighter moments: BJP national president Amit Shah and State unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa at a press conference in Bengaluru on Monday.

Bharatiya Janata Party national president Amit Shah, who concluded his three-day visit to the city, sought to downplay key political issues such as the demand for religion status for Lingayats and separate flag for Karnataka, terming them a “political game plan” of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The BJP is confident that people of the State will not believe in such game plans, he told presspersons in Bengaluru on Monday.

When quizzed about the demand for a State flag and anti-Hindi protests in the State, he questioned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as to why the issue was raised just before elections.

“Even Mr. Siddaramaiah is not serious on the issue. It’s only vote bank politics,” he said. On the minority religion status for Lingayats, Mr. Shah said that the party’s stand was that it was only a political game plan. He refused to elaborate further.

However, it is learnt that Mr. Shah has told the State leaders to prepare an action plan to counter the Congress on emotive issues of State flag, anti-Hindi protests, Lingayat status and Mahadayi river water dispute.

Mr. Shah came down heavily on the Congress government for “appeasement politics” leading to a compromise in law and order and security in the State, referring to the recent communal cauldron in coastal Karnataka. “There have been 20 murders of RSS activists in the State, over political violence. But the government seems to be protecting groups indulging in such activities. Why were all cases against Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI) withdrawn?” he asked.

Mr. Shah claimed that contrary to allegations by Mr. Siddaramaiah, the NDA government had granted more funds to the State than the UPA government. “While Karnataka got ₹88,583 crore under the 13th Finance Commission, which covered the UPA period, it got ₹2,19,506 crore under the 14th Finance Commission,” he said. The benefits seemed to have not reached either the Dalits, tribals or farmers, he said.

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