BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi said here on Monday that former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress would pay a ‘’heavy price’’ for what he described as “’disparaging remarks against Lingayats”.
Mr. Siddaramaiah, while speaking to a section of the media, had remarked that the “Lingayat Chief Minister of the BJP has ruined the State through corruption” but later clarified that it was only with reference to Basavaraj Bommai. But it has taken a controversial turn with the BJP projecting Mr. Siddaramaiah’s remarks as an attack and an insult to the Lingayat community.
Mr. Ravi said Mr. Siddaramaiah’s remarks underscores his “’state of mind” and one could construe it as his ‘‘aversion’‘ to Lingayats in general or an outburst due to the fear of a loss in Varuna where the BJP has fielded V. Somanna against him.
“’Mr. Siddaramaiah has realised that the AHINDA card is not gaining traction in Varuna and he has no safe seat to bail him out and is haunted by the spectre of losing the elections’’, said Mr. Ravi.
‘’Mr. Siddaramaiah is also frustrated because he feels trapped in Varuna as the party high command denied him permission to contest from Kolar. He has entered a Chakravyuha and does not know how to extricate himself out of the situation because there is no Lord Krishna to guide him as he (Lord Krishna) is with the BJP’’, remarked Mr. Ravi.
Mr. Ravi said the BJP was committed to the concept of social justice and that is why it increased the reservation quota to the SC/ST communities and Veerashaivas and Vokkaligas The Congress, on the other hand, only talks of social justice while dividing the society, he added
‘’Mr.Siddaramaiah has stated that hike in reservation quota would be withdrawn by the Congress if it comes to power and hence it should explain before the votes are cast as to whose share – whether the SC/ST, Vokkaligas or the Veerashaivas quota - would be withdrawn so that the public realise the Congress position on it’’, Mr. Ravi added.
Referring to Congress leader D.K.Shivakumar’s statement that the ‘’BJP’s dam has been broken’’, - with reference to exodus of Lingayat leaders to the Congress - Mr. Ravi alleged that “’it was the innate nature of Congress to break society and is not surprising as it was also responsible for breaking the country’’.
‘’But the BJP with its belief in the larger concept of Hindutva and firm belief in social justice has strengthened its base through increase in reservation to benefit all communities’’, Mr.Ravi added.
In reply to a question on not accommodating Muslim candidates which puts a question mark on their claim of social justice, Mr. Ravi said the welfare programmes launched by the BJP had not excluded any community from deriving the benefits. Of late more number of Muslims are turning to the BJP as they have realised that the Congress has used them as a vote bank. In future, as more Muslims vote for the party their representation could also increase, said Mr. Ravi.
