BENGALURU:On a day when JD (S) leader H D Kumaraswamy took oath as the state's Chief Minister, BJP state unit president B S Yeddyurappa invited Congress leaders, who are unhappy with the JD(S)-Congress alliance, to join hands with the BJP to save democracy. BJP leaders, who stayed away from the swearing-in ceremony of Kumaraswamy, staged protests across the state on Wednesday and observed it as a black day.
Addressing BJP workers at the Gandhi statue in Bengaluru, Yeddyurappa said over 90% of Congress leaders and workers are not happy with the JD(S)-Congress alliance. "If you are not happy with the alliance, come out of it as only BJP can save democracy," he said.
Yeddyurappa said people of the state rejected the Congress in the recent assembly polls and the JD(S) won only 38 seats. But, despite this, the two parties have formed an unholy alliance only to prevent BJP from coming to power in the state. This alliance will not continue beyond three months and the BJP will win over 130 seats in the next election, he said.
Yeddyurappa said BJP will launch a statewide agitation, including calling for a state bandh, if the coalition government fails to announce farm loan waiver as promised by the JD(S) in its election manifesto. "Now, Kumaraswamy says he would have taken the decision on farm loan waiver had the JD(S) formed the government on its own. Why do they make false promises? We will not allow the JD(S) to get away with such false assurances made to people of the state," he said.
The former CM said the Congress has done a big mistake by forming a coalition government with the JD(S) as it would lose its base in the state. "It will help us to realise our dream of a Congress-mukta Karnataka. In the state, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will have to depend only on Kumaraswamy," he added.