BENGALURU: A day after a Veerashaiva-Lingayat organisation extended support to the Congress for the Karnataka Assembly elections, Lingayat strongman and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa said that the voters of the community will continue to support the BJP. He expressed confidence in the BJP returning to power by winning 135 seats.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Yediyurappa said that the Congress was trying to instigate the Lingayats against the BJP. “This will not work. When they (Congress) were in power, they tried dividing the community. Now that they are not in power, they are indulging in the politics of appeasement. Those who tried to break the Lingayat community are speaking about it... they do not have any moral right,” the former CM said.
The BJP leader said that he became the CM with the blessings of all communities. On the issue of reservation, he said that the State Government has increased reservationss for SCs/STs. “Over 80% of people from these communities are supporting the BJP. When I was the CM, I presented farmers’ budgets and distributed free pump sets to farmers and increased pensions. We have not indulged in caste politics” he said.