SHIKARIPURA: Shikaripura town on Thursday saw stalwart leaders of both the Congress and BJP slug it out for the Shivamogga Lok Sabha bypoll. While former chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah tried to woo the Kuruba community, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa tried to strike a chord with the Banjaras. After the Lingayats, it is the Bajaras who are the influential community in Shikaripura Assembly constituency.
Members of the Lambani or Banjara community were the special invitees at an event held at Mangala Bhavana, which has hosted many BJP meetings, though it was a meeting of the party workers. Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa criticised the coalition government for not making an MLA from the Banjara community as a minister. “The truth is before you on how this government has deceived the Banjara community,” said Yeddyurappa, the MLA from Shikaripura.
Former deputy chief minister and Shivamogga MLA K S Eshwarappa said that the JD(S) and Congress leaders are under the illusion that they will win with the help of votes of Ediga, Vokkaliga and Muslims. “However, we are not like that. We treat all communities equally. Siddaramaiah is coming to Shikaripura to criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Yeddyurappa, but not to tell what he has done for Kurubas, Banjaras and Dalits,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Congress-JD(S) team of leaders, led by Siddaramaiah, took on Eshwarappa for showing no interest in establishment of Kanaka Peetha, the most important spiritual centre for the Kurubas, at Kaginele in Haveri district. “Eshwarappa keeps asking about my contributions for the establishment of Kanaka Peetha. However, Eshwarappa had once skipped a meeting that was convened to discuss the establishment of the Peetha. I had asked each leader to collect `5 lakh. When the next meeting was convened to know the status of the collection of the money, Eshwarappa was not in the meeting,” he said.
Siddaramaiah also said that it was late S Bangarappa who donated money from his pocket for the establishment of the Peetha. Yeddyurappa’s contribution to the backward classes is “nothing,” he added.