<p>Congress spokesperson and former MP Rajeev Gowda expressed confidence that his party will sweep the Karnataka assembly elections next year, saying that the BJP government has been an "utter failure".</p>.<p>“I think the Congress is going to sweep. In Karnataka, people have a long track record of rejecting parties that have let them down. They dropped Mr (BS) Yediyuruppa – their most popular leader, and therefore that’s also going to see a backlash for them in the areas which are from the Lingayat community,” Gowda told <em>DH </em>on the sidelines of a party press conference, held in Kolkata on Saturday.</p>.<p>The BJP in Karnataka has been an “utter failure”, he said. It came to power illegitimately and it continues to “loot” the people of the state, Gowda added, alleging that the ruling party is trying to distract the people from its track record by creating unheard-of communal issues.</p>.<p>Congress on Saturday questioned the BJP about how people accused of indulging in terror activities have links with the party.</p>.<p>While speaking on the subject, Gowda alleged that the BJP was practising divisive politics. “I am from Karnataka. Karnataka is a peaceful state. But what do we see under the BJP? You saw the hijab row, you saw halal row, you saw loudspeaker and azan row. All sorts of things. Recently a play that had characters from the minority community was not allowed to be staged. We are now facing these sorts of divisive activities,” he said, alleging that in the hijab row, women were prevented from studying using the excuse of uniforms.</p>.<p>Gowda alleged that the whole idea behind the issue of how animals should be sacrificed was to cut into the economic activities of people involved in the meat trade. “I think people who are involved (in the ritual) are only focused on sacrificing goats and nothing else, and therefore we don’t anticipate that there will be opportunities for the BJP and its allied organisations to create more trouble. I hope we will have a peaceful Bakri-Eid (Eid-ul-Adha),” he told <em>DH</em>.</p>
<p>Congress spokesperson and former MP Rajeev Gowda expressed confidence that his party will sweep the Karnataka assembly elections next year, saying that the BJP government has been an "utter failure".</p>.<p>“I think the Congress is going to sweep. In Karnataka, people have a long track record of rejecting parties that have let them down. They dropped Mr (BS) Yediyuruppa – their most popular leader, and therefore that’s also going to see a backlash for them in the areas which are from the Lingayat community,” Gowda told <em>DH </em>on the sidelines of a party press conference, held in Kolkata on Saturday.</p>.<p>The BJP in Karnataka has been an “utter failure”, he said. It came to power illegitimately and it continues to “loot” the people of the state, Gowda added, alleging that the ruling party is trying to distract the people from its track record by creating unheard-of communal issues.</p>.<p>Congress on Saturday questioned the BJP about how people accused of indulging in terror activities have links with the party.</p>.<p>While speaking on the subject, Gowda alleged that the BJP was practising divisive politics. “I am from Karnataka. Karnataka is a peaceful state. But what do we see under the BJP? You saw the hijab row, you saw halal row, you saw loudspeaker and azan row. All sorts of things. Recently a play that had characters from the minority community was not allowed to be staged. We are now facing these sorts of divisive activities,” he said, alleging that in the hijab row, women were prevented from studying using the excuse of uniforms.</p>.<p>Gowda alleged that the whole idea behind the issue of how animals should be sacrificed was to cut into the economic activities of people involved in the meat trade. “I think people who are involved (in the ritual) are only focused on sacrificing goats and nothing else, and therefore we don’t anticipate that there will be opportunities for the BJP and its allied organisations to create more trouble. I hope we will have a peaceful Bakri-Eid (Eid-ul-Adha),” he told <em>DH</em>.</p>