MYSURU: KPCC spokesperson M Lakshmana on Sunday courted controversy by taking a veiled jibe at the BJP and JDS alliance and seat sharing, saying that the two parties are swapping their candidates akin to wife-swapping.
Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan on Sunday, Lakshmana said two years ago during the BJP government, the police had busted a wife-swapping racket in Bengaluru.
“Wife-swapping means exchange of wives between married couples for a few hours. It was big news after police cracked the network in Bengaluru. Now, the media is terming the seat-sharing between the BJP and JDS as swapping. It was reported in the media that Mandya, Hassan, and Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha seats were given to JDS, and in Kolar and Tumakuru constituencies, the parties are swapping candidates. In Kolar, the JDS candidate will contest on the BJP symbol and in Tumakuru, the BJP candidate will contest on the JDS symbol. This is called swapping. Even swapping is being planned for the Mysuru Lok Sabha segment,” he said.
Lakshmana said through the new system of swapping candidates, the BJP has planned to destroy the JDS.
Reacting to the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill’s defeat in the Upper House, Lakshmana said the BJP is spreading misinformation on the bill.
“Through the bill, a part of the money from the rich Hindu temples which come under A grade list will be given to C grade Hindu temples which have revenue of less than one lakh. The bill also suggested health insurance for the priests, Rs 2 lakh compensation to the family members during untimely death of the priests, and also infrastructure development of temples,” he said.