TUMAKURU: Despite Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa tendering an unconditional apology on behalf of Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy, the Kurubas are not ready to accept it, and are likely to turn the alleged slight by the minister into an election issue.
Yediyurappa, who had managed to garner the support of Kuruba leaders such as former ministers AH Vishwanath, MTB Nagaraj and R Shankar, and expected the community to throw its weight behind them, may lose out.
The Kuruba community has demanded the minister’s resignation, and called for a bandh in Huliyar and Shikaripura on Thursday. The issue could kick up a storm until voting day.“The Kurubas may not support Vishwanath in Hunsur and MTB Nagaraj in Hoskote, and will do what former CM Siddaramaiah says,” said Kanaka Yuva Sene leader Kemparaju, who wants Siddaramaiah to become CM again.
Madhuswamy was on Wednesday removed as in-charge of KR Pet Assembly constituency as the issue could also affect the chances of BJP candidate Narayana Gowda. The Kurubas, with over 35,000 votes, play a deciding factor in the election there. He had reportedly said that it will be difficult for the BJP to crack KR Pet as the party has no base there, and was pushed to third place during the 2018 assembly polls.
“The Kurubas will get polarised in favour of Congress candidate and former MLA KB Chandrashekar, a Vokkaliga leader, because Siddaramaiah is their leader. The combination of the Kuruba vote and a section of Vokkaliga votes may work,” said Basavaraju, a keen observer of KR Pet politics.
Whatever the issue, Madhuswamy, who was not a caste leader,will now be identified as a Lingayat, observed Jagadish, a Lingayat leader.