Accusing Union Minister and BJP candidate from Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency Pralhad Joshi of ‘crushing careers of Veerashaiva-Lingayat leaders’, Fakir Dingaleshwara swami of Bhavaikyatha Mahasamsthana mutt announced his decision to contest as an independent candidate from Dharwad, on April 8.
He accused the BJP of appeasement politics by providing prominence to a small community and ignoring big communities, including Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Kurubas, in Karnataka.
“The BJP has ignored hundreds of communities. Kurubas, who form the third largest chunk of the population after Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas, have been denied tickets. It has given tickets to three persons from a small community [Brahmins]. People of Karnataka are asking if this is fair. There were nine Veerashaiva-Lingayats in the last Lok Sabha, but not even one was made a minister of cabinet rank. The 2% community got two cabinet berths while Veerashaiva-Lingayats were given minister of state rank. The BJP is using all other communities to get to power,” the seer told mediapersons in Bengaluru.
