In what is being seen as an outreach to the Veerashaiva–Lingayat community that has long moved away from the Janata Parivar to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Thursday cautioned that the Veerashaivas who had been wooed by the BJP “will never be accepted as equals”.
Mr. Kumaraswamy, who draws his political strength from the Vokkaliga heartland in Old Mysore region, was especially critical of the BJP and Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa for letting down farmers of north Karnataka, a significant part of whom belong to the Lingayat community. “What is the condition of farmers belonging to the Lingayat community after the floods? With no assistance coming, these farmers are in debt,” he said.
His remarks on Lingayats and BJP leaders came at a meeting of JD(S) leaders, convened to discuss the modalities to strengthen the party, especially in the light of the collapse of the JD(S)–Congress coalition, and also the drubbing that the party received in the Assembly bypolls in December 2019.
Floods and Mahadayi
He said: “Nobody talks about the Mahadayi or the flood issue. How long do you [Veerashaiva–Lingayats] want to go with people based on caste?”
The former Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were out not only to harm Muslims, but also Hindus. “The BJP will never consider a Vokkaliga or a Veerashaiva/Lingayat as their own, but as shudras. The appeal to bring all Hindus together is only a political ploy during elections. This is the agenda of the VHP and the RSS.” He said that Veerashaivas/Lingayats should be beware of the hidden agenda, and that the BJP was not going to be with the community.
Meanwhile, acknowledging that the JD(S) was at the crossroads after the fall of the coalition government and the bypolls loss, he told the gathering, “We are at the crossroads, but do not lose confidence. You have the strength. We will start a Janandolana (people’s movement) and go from house to house highlighting issues affecting the country.”
The meeting passed resolutions seeking withdrawal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, condemning the current economic scenario, and urging the Centre to release ₹5,000 crore towards relief for flood-affected people.
Response to Shobha
Responding to BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje’s tweet on the JD(S) “kneeling before the Congress”, Mr. Kumaraswamy said it was Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa who had knocked on the doors of the JD(S) as well as the then Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh and not the other way round. “We are not in the habit of going to someone’s door to secure power,” he said.
