BENGALURU: Congress, which has pinned its hopes on the five guarantees to win a majority of seats in the state in the Lok Sabha elections, continued its focus on them, as Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president DK Shivakumar here on Tuesday cautioned people against voting for BJP, saying the saffron party will stop the guarantees if it comes to power.
Interacting with journalists at the Press Club of Bengaluru and also at the KPCC office, where leaders from other parties joined Congress, he alleged that BJP state president BY Vijayendra has threatened to stop the guarantees.
“We will continue the guarantees and remain in power for nine more years by winning the next Assembly elections too,” he said, predicting that the party will win over 20 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in the state.
At the party office, he claimed that there is a wave for Congress, buffeted by the guarantees, in the entire state. “The whole country is looking towards Karnataka. On Tuesday, I went on a Kerala state tour, where Congress will win 20 seats,” he added.
On the fight between him and JDS state president HD Kumaraswamy to become Vokkaliga leaders, Shivakumar said he does not want to restrict himself as a Vokkaliga leader, but as Congress leader being the KPCC president. “I was born a Vokkaliga, but I am not a Vokkaliga leader,” he asserted.
The Congress government, which has 135 MLAs, will never collapse, he told BIP leaders pointedly. He sidestepped queries on him getting the chief minister’s post after the Lok Sabha elections in the state. “The I.N.D.I.A bloc will come to power at the Centre, and we will decide on our PM candidate after the results,” he said.
Karadi Sanganna joins Cong
In a jolt to BJP, Koppal former MP Karadi Sanganna joined Congress in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. Former DCM Laxman Savadi, who joined Congress from BJP, has worked to get Sanganna into the Grand Old Party. “Savadi took me to BJP and has now brought me to Congress,” Sanganna said.
Shivakumar said, “Sanganna is a simple gentleman and joined Congress at a time when BJP is targeting Congress policies. Congress’ programmes will wash away BJP in the state.” Sanganna became a JDU MLA in 1999 after serving as chairman of PLD Bank and was elected MP twice. He is well connected in Koppal, Shivakumar remarked.