BENGALURU: Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar joined the Congress party in the presence of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge after severing his over four decades of relationship with BJP here on Monday.
After former DCM Laxman Savadi, former Athani MLA, joined Congress a few days ago, Shettar, also a prominent Veerashaiva-Lingayat leader, too following suit has come as a big jolt to the saffron party. Both quit the party as they were denied tickets to contest the May 10 Assembly elections. With senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in town, Shettar’s decision comes as a shot in the arm for Congress in the run up to the Assembly elections.
“Shettar’s entry will boost the Congress’ morale,” Kharge said and added that he will not only win his seat, but also help others win in many constituencies.
A six-time MLA, Shettar is likely to contest from Hubballi-Dharwad Central constituency, which he has been representing in the Assembly since 1994, on Congress ticket this time. He will be contesting against BJP’s Mahesh Tenginkai.
“I was hurt when the BJP leadership asked me not to contest the Assembly elections all of a sudden. I will not criticise PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda. I feel they are not aware of the developments in the state BJP, where only a few individuals take decisions ignoring the party’s interests,” he told reporters at the KPCC office after joining Congress. He said he is happily joining the Grand Old Party.
Shettar indirectly attacked the BJP general secretary in-charge of Karnataka stating that he could have informed him and former minister KS Eshwarappa early that they would not be given tickets. “After winning, I would have resigned gracefully in six months if they asked me to do so,”
he said.
Shettar had once defeated Bommai
Shettar claimed that after former chief minister BS Yediyurappa announced his retirement from electoral politics he (Shettar) was next to him as the community’s leader, which is why he was being targeted in BJP. “Because of the ill-treatment in the party, my supporters insisted that I take a decision and now I have taken it. I have a cordial relationship with Kharge, MB Patil, Siddaramaiah and KPCC president DK Shivakumar,” he said.
Shettar’s father SS Shettar was a five-time member of Hubballi-Dharwad City Corporation and the first mayor to be elected from Jana Sangh. His uncle Sadashiv Shettar was the first Jana Sangh candidate to get elected to the Assembly in south India. Shettar was CM between July 12, 2012 and May 13, 2013. He served as leader of opposition and minister in the Yediyurappa cabinet. In 1994, Shettar defeated Bommai, who was then the Janata Dal candidate, in the erstwhile Hubballi Rural constituency.
‘INSIDERS CONTROLLING BJP’
Former CM Jagadish Shettar expressed anger against a few ‘insiders’ in the BJP in an open letter. He claimed that a few netas are controlling the party in the state and the central leaders are unaware about it.
‘Lingayats will back BJP’
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has expressed confidence that Lingayat voters will back BJP in the Assembly polls. “Congress might have taken some BJP leaders, but it can’t take away our voters,” he said.
‘Exodus won’t affect BJP’
Amid the Congress’ claims that the Lingayat community will ditch BJP to support it in the polls, former CM BS Yediyurappa asserted that the exit of Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi will not have any impact.