Too late for Yediyurappa to save BJP ship: DK Shivakumar

BENGALURU: Even as both the Congress and the BJP try to woo the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community in the wake of the Assembly polls, KPCC president D K Shivakumar and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai have been at loggerheads.

As former chief minister held a meeting of community leaders at his house recently, Shivakumar observed that it is too late for the former to control the damage as many of the prominent leaders from the community have quit the BJP and joined the Congress.

“The water cannot be stopped once the dam is breached. It should be built anew. This water should join the sea. Everyone should come and join this Congress sea,” he said, while addressing reporters here on Friday. Apparently, Shivakumar had referred to the fact that a posse of Veershaiva-Lingayat leaders, including veterans such as former CM Jagadish Shettar and former DCM Laxman Savadi, joined the party in quick succession recently.

Replying strongly to Shivakumar, Bommai said the conspiracy to divide the Lingayat community has been exposed yet again through the very statement of the former. “@DKShivakumar you spoke about Lingayat dam. You have no idea how hard it is.

You are under the illusion of breaking it. In 2018, your government has not been able to break this. What can be done now? First, there is no water in your Congress pond. Think about it. But we took your statement as a challenge. How much water is there in whose dam will be known on May 13. Your statement has exposed yet another conspiracy to split the Lingayat religion,” he tweeted.