BENGALURU: Janata Dal Secular leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy hit out at his party critics, who accused it of trying to divide minority votes to help the Bhratiya Janata Party, by saying they are not in politics to favour anyone.
“Who are they they to dictate us? We are free to decide our candidates,” Kumaraswamy said responding to allegations by Congress. “Look at our situation. If we give tickets to Muslims, they accuse us of favouring BJP. If we give it to OBC, they say it is against Congress and if we field Lingayats, they say it is done to defeat BJP. We are not here to favour BJP or Congress. We are working on our own strategy,” Kumaraswamy told The New Sunday Express.
The regional party is fielding Naziya Shakeel Ahmed Angadi and Niyaz Shaikh as its candidates from Sindagi and Hanagal Assembly segments, respectively, for the October 30 bypolls. Kumaraswamy said they are sure of winning in Sindagi and confident of giving a good fight in Hanagal. “What is wrong in giving tickets to well-educated candidates from the Minority community. In fact, by terming JDS as the BJP B-team, Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders helped BJP win 105 seats in last elections... otherwise we would have won 60-65 seats and BJP would have got 70-75,” he added.
Realising the Herculean task ahead, JDS has already started preparing for the 2023 Assembly polls and even identified potential candidates. “I have taken it as a challenge to bring the party to power. We have
17 months to prepare for it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the four-day workshop organised by the JDS for its leaders to reorient them for the electoral fight in idadi on the outskirts of Bengaluru has been extended by two more days. On leaders quitting the JDS, Kumaraswamt said, “We are not worried about some leaders leaving the party as we have alternative candidates in those constituencies.”
Congress workers, leaders from HD Kote join JDS
On Saturday, several Congress leaders and workers from HD Kote in Mysuru joined the JDS in the presence of former CM HD Kumaraswamy. Over 600 leaders and 3,000 workers from the Congress joined the JDS, read a statement issued by the party.