HANAGAL: With less than a week for the Hanagal bypoll, the top brass of the state JDS, BJP and Congress has descended on Hanagal to campaign for their respective candidates. In the BJP camp, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and former CM BS Yediyurappa released a Hanagal-centric manifesto.
Promising to set up more industries in Hanagal to generate jobs, the manifesto also assured the voters of a truck terminal, a new bus terminal, better roads with pavements, providing all kinds of medicines to Jan Aushadi Kendras, installation of CCTV cameras to check crime, land to the needy and many more.
“The Congress ignored Hanagal and North Karnataka when in power. Congress leaders remember minorities only during polls. They do not protect minorities.. they are under the protection of minorities,” Bommai ridiculed.
Congress claims that their candidate Srinivas V Mane helped people of the taluk during the Covid-19 second wave. “If his help is politicised, then how it will become a help?” the CM questioned.
Meanwhile, Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah continued to tear into the BJP over soaring fuel prices and high inflation. “BJP top brass is threatening Yediyurappa with raids by the IT department and Enforcement Directorate. Therefore, Yediyurappa is now supporting the party. There is no future for senior leaders in BJP,” Siddaramaiah alleged.
JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy visited Hangal constituency for the first time to campaign for Niyaz Sheikh. “More than 3,500 farmers committed suicide in 2015. But the then CM Siddaramaiah did not waive farm loans. Congress forced me to become CM in the coalition government, and the party did not support me in waiving farm loans. In 2009 bypolls, Siddaramaiah took money from the BJP to defeat Congress candidates,” the former CM said.