MANGALURU: Unlike previous elections, communal issues have taken a backseat in coastal Karnataka, which is known as the hotbed of communal politics, in the 2023 Assembly polls.
Sources in BJP and Congress said that their parties are not raking up communal issues this time as part of their strategies.
Both parties are instead focusing on development issues to win over voters in this communally sensitive region.
BJP, which was in Opposition in 2018, focused on the killings of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader D Kuttappa, Paresh Mesta and others that took place during the Siddaramaiah regime. However, this strategy clicked and the saffron party almost swept the coastal region then.
However, the killings of BJP workers Harsha in Shivamogga and Praveen Nettaru in Dakshina Kannada find no mention in the party’s campaign this time.
Priyanka hails Siddu’s ‘bhagyas’
Referring to the issue of unemployment, Priyanka Gandhi told the jobless youth among the crowd to raise their hands and promised them jobs if voted into power. She said her party will implement the promises made in its guarantee card. She hailed the Siddaramaiah government’s various “bhagya” schemes for women, Dalits and other economically backward communities.
Referring to the “talk” of the KMF-Amul merger, the Congress leader said Nandhini brand is the pride of Karnataka. Efforts are on to reduce the production of Nandini milk to pave the way for Amul’s entry into the state. She promised that the interests of KMF and farmers associated with it will be protected.
Later, Priyanka along with KPCC president DK Shivakumar participated in a massive roadshow at KR Nagar. Traffic was disrupted in the town for some time as a large number of people participated in the roadshow.