Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar, whose brother D.K. Suresh is contesting the Lok Sabha bypolls from Bangalore Rural segment, on Monday urged the Bharatiya Janata Party to publicly clarify its pre-poll pact with the Janata Dal (Secular) in the wake of JD(S) national president H.D. Deve Gowda maintaining that the BJP had voluntarily lent its support to his party.
Speaking to presspersons after AICC general secretary B.K. Hariprasad filed his nominations to the bypoll to the Rajya Sabha here, Mr. Shivakumar demanded that BJP leaders Ananth Kumar and R. Ashok clarify the BJP’s stand on the issue. Taking serious exception to Mr. Ashok publicly campaigning for JD(S) candidate Anita Kumaraswamy in Bangalore Rural segment, he said the BJP should immediately withdraw its support if it wants to protect the dignity of its organisation. He said the BJP lacked self-esteem.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Hariprasad termed the JD(S)-BJP pact as “opportunistic and unholy” and maintained that people would reject such a combine. Launching a tirade against the JD(S) for joining hands with the BJP, he said the JD(S) was banking on caste and money power rather than ideology.
