B S Yeddyurappa has challenged the Congress leaders to seek votes in the name of Dr Manmohan Singh, who was prime minister for 10 years.
The BJP state president’s challenge on Thursday follows the Congress’ criticism of BJP candidates for the Lok Sabha elections wooing voters in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Yeddyurappa told reporters in Chikkamagaluru that the Modi wave is much stronger when compared to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. “Modi’s capable administration has only strengthened the BJP in the state as well. The party will not win lesser than 300 seats in the country including 22 seats in Karnataka,” Yeddyurappa declared.
CM’s comment
In reference to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s remarks on the Pulwama attack, Yeddyurappa said that if Kumaraswamy had prior information about the attack, he should have alerted the office of the President of India or the higher level officials in the concerned Ministry. The chief minister has deliberately concealed information in an act of breach of trust, he alleged.
The former chief minister, meanwhile, accused Kumaraswamy of transporting money from the places where the IT Department is conducting raids.
Without mentioning names, the BJP state president accused the father-son duo of being worried about bringing their family members to power and not about the development of the state.
“Kumaraswamy has stooped low in speaking ill of the prime minister of the country. Hurling insulting remarks on the Mandya election independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh and her supporters is a condemnable act,” he stated.
Yeddyurappa said that, according to the statistics given by Kumaraswamy himself, even after nine months of the latter assuming office as chief minister, the amount of loan waiver of farmers had not cross Rs 4.5 thousand crores. The chief minister, however, refuses to accept the fact, he alleged.
‘Tughlaq Darbar’
At an election rally for BJP candidate Shobha Karandlaje organised in Tarikere, Yeddyurappa alleged developmental works had been stalled in the state, at the behest of Kumaraswamy, who, Yeddyurappa said, is running a Tughlaq Darbar.
The former chief minister also campaigned at Hunasaghatta and Kudluru villages as well as Bukkambudhi near Ajjampura. He also participated in a road show in Kadur.
Minority safety
BJP state general secretary and legislator C T Ravi, who reacted to Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara’s statements that there was no safety for Dalits and minority communities under the BJP
government, reminded that the incident of Dalits being burnt alive at Kambalapalli and the assaults at Badanavalu had taken place during the tenure of the Congress government.
BJP leaders Belliprakash, B J Puttaswamy, B G Somashekharappa and M K Pranesh were present during the campaign.
'CM should apologise'
Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa said that Siddaramaiah, H D Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy flying together in a chopper does not imply unity among them. “All these gimmicks are temporary. If there is unity, why do they cast aspersions in Mandya?” he asked.
He also predicted that the Congress – JD(S) coalition government in the state would collapse after the Lok Sabha elections.
Yeddyurappa also condemned Kumaraswamy for intimidating the media with his threat tactics. “He has to apologise for the remark,” the former chief minister demanded.