SHIVAMOGGA: Former deputy chief minister KS Eshwarappa, who is contesting as a rebel candidate from Shivamogga, said he could not meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi although summoned by the latter.
Eshwarappa will face BJP candidate BY Raghavendra, son of party veteran BS Yediyurappa, in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to reporters in Shivamogga after returning from Delhi, Eshwarappa said, “There is no question of withdrawing from the contest. After reaching Delhi, I got a call from his (Shah’s) office stating that the meeting would not happen. This means that Shah wants me to contest and defeat Raghavendra.”
“Earlier, when Amit Shah called me, I told him why I was contesting the polls. I told him that there was a need to clean up the party and free it from the clutches of BS Yediyurappa and his family. Amit Shah didn’t have any answers to the objections I made. So, I think he asked me to return to Shivamogga,” said Eshwarappa.
Eshwarappa said he would win from Shivamogga and strive to make Narendra Modi the PM again. Eshwarappa said that he had disobeyed the words of the RSS for the first time and sought an apology.