The remarks of Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president D. K. Shivakumar that Adichunchanagiri mutt seer Nirmalanandanatha swami should have questioned the BJP leaders about the propriety of bringing down the erstwhile government, led by Vokkaliga leader H. D. Kumaraswamy, has attracted the wrath of veteran BJP leader B. S. Yediyurappa.
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Mr. Yediyurappa had formed the BJP government after the collapse of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government led by H. D. Kumaraswamy.
“Mr. Shivakumar himself could directly ask this question to the seer instead of telling others,” Mr. Yediyurappa told mediapersons in Bengaluru on April 11.
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Hinting that Mr. Shivakumar is trying to woo Vokkaliga votes through such remarks, Mr. Yediyurappa asserted, “I want to tell Mr. Shivakumar that all the communities, including Vokkaligas, are not only united, but are firmly standing with us. They will not come to your fold.”
As the Lok Sabha elections are approaching, the two prominent Vokkaliga leaders — Mr. Shivakumar and Mr. Kumaraswamy — appear to be intensely competing with each other in wooing the Vokkaliga community.
On April 10, they sparred over NDA candidates of 14 Lok Sabha constituencies that are going to polls on April 26 meeting the Adichunchanagiri seer to seek his blessings. This visit had come a few days after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar had met the seer.
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While Mr. Kumaraswamy had asked Congress leaders to desist from politicising the visit to the mutt, Mr. Shivakumar had accused the BJP of bringing down the erstwhile government led by Mr. Kumaraswamy and wondered why the seer had not questioned the BJP leaders, who called on him along with Mr. Kumaraswamy, on this topic.
‘Not worried about K.S Eshwarappa contesting in Shivamogga’
Mr. Yediyurappa sought to downplay the episode of senior leader K. S. Eshwarappa deciding to contest as a rebel against his son B. Y. Raghavendra in Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat. “Let Mr. Eshwarappa do whatever his mind says. I am not worried about him contesting,” he remarked.
He described the ongoing Lok Sabha elections as a fight for protecting the integrity of India and strengthening its security. “Any vote for the Congress will turn out to be a vote for political anarchy, financial bankruptcy and threat to the country’s security,” he claimed.
Mr. Yediyurappa listed various development works taken up by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for the country as well as for Karnataka in various sectors.