Karnataka will see communal riots if Congress wins: Amit Shah
Addressing a public gathering in poll-bound Karnataka's Bagalkote district on Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that if Congress is elected, the state will be "afflicted with communal riots" and there will be "appeasement politics" all around. He added that if Congress comes to power, dynastic politics will see an unprecedented rise, and the state's development will slip into "reverse gear."
Why does this story matter?
Election campaigning is in full swing in Karnataka in view of the upcoming state Assembly polls on May 10 and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP came to power in Karnataka in July 2019 by toppling the elected Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government. Over the years, the BJP has been accused of using communal rhetoric to polarize public opinion for favorable electoral results.
Only BJP can take Karnataka forward: Shah
Shah, who is on a two-day visit to the state, said that only the BJP can make a "new Karnataka." He urged the people to vote for the BJP for "political stability" in the state. Shah said that if the Congress comes to power by mistake, corruption will reach an all-time high. Notably, no party has won two consecutive terms in Karnataka since 1985.
BJP leaders switching sides sign of Congress's bankruptcy: Shah
Without naming former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and former Deputy CM Laxman Savadi, who switched over from the BJP to Congress after not getting a poll ticket, Shah said that politicians leaving the BJP to join Congress revealed the latter's "bankruptcy" and it won't help them at all. He also reiterated that voting for the JD(S) would mean voting for the Congress.
Congress always insulted Lingayats: Shah
In his speech, Shah stated that Congress has always insulted the Lingayat community. "Congress made only two Lingayat Chief Ministers, S Nijalingappa and Veerendra Patil...both of them were insulted and thrown out of the party," he said. Incidentally, both Savadi and Shettar are Lingayats.
68 Lingayats out of BJP's total 224 candidates
Notably, the Lingayat community is known to be politically strong in the region and forms around 17% of the state's population. Of the 22 chief ministers of Karnataka to date, nine were Lingayats. They are also considered as the BJP's core vote bank. Incumbent CM Basavaraj Bommai and former CM BS Yediyurappa are also Lingayats. Among BJP's 224 declared candidates, 68 are Lingayats.
