Siddaramaiah is a fake OBC leader, declares Eshwarappa

Haveri: Opposition leader in the Legislative Council K S Eshwarappa expressed confidence that Congress will be rooted out and BJP will achieve power in Karnataka after the assembly elections.
Addressing a state-level OBC convention organized by the BJP’s state OBC unit at Kaginele on Tuesday, he said the Congress in the state had been cheating OBCs for five years.

“Moreover, Siddaramaiah is a fake OBC leader and he doesn’t have concern on such communities. The chief minister and PWD minister Mahadevappa have looted the state through sand mafia but they failed to provide sufficient sand for construction activities to poor and needy people,” he said.

Eshwarappa reiterated that Siddaramaiah is a self-declared chief ministerial candidate in the Congress and that party leaders party leader like Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi have not yet declared him so.

“Siddaramaiah neglected OBCs after he got power. The union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced several welfare schemes to poor and Dalits in the past four years. B S Yeddyurappa had given huge funds for the development of Kaginele when he was the chief minister. So he will take oath as the 22nd chief minister of Karnataka after May 15,” he added.

BJP state president and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa clarified that he wouldn’t criticize CM Siddaramaiah as he will lose power after electios. He also recalled that huge amount of funds were given to several developmental authorities like Kaginele Development Authority and others during his tenure as CM. “I will reserve Rs 1 lakh crore for irrigation if BJP comes to power in state,” he added.

“The people of the state should the BJP so that a combination of NDA in the Union government and BJP in the state is formed,” he appealed.

Shah mentions Halappa in speech

Hartal Halappa, a ticket aspirant from Sagar assembly constituency, was present at the convention in Kaginele. Interestingly, BJP national president Amith Shah mentioned his name during his address. There were rumours that Halappa would quit the party if he is denied a ticket.

Organizers hide empty chairs

BJP leaders had expected over one lakh people to attend the convention. But only about 70,000 workers turned up at the event. The organizers were trying to vacate some of empty chairs put in front of the dais so that they are not seen by party national president Amit Shah.

Former CM Jagadish Shettar, MPs Pralhad Joshi, B Sriramulu, G M Siddeshwar and Shivakumar Udasi, former minister C M Udasi, MLC B J Puttaswamy, D S Veeraiah, MLA Basavaraj Bommai, U B Banakar and others were present on the occasion.

Shah visits Kaginele Mutt

BJP president Amith Shah visited Kaginele Kanaka Gurupeeth on Tuesday before attending the state level OBC convention organized on the outskirts of Kaginele.

He met the pontiffs of the Gurupeeth’s branches Tintini Siddarama Swamiji, Eshwaranandpuri of Hosadurga and Amoghanadapuri of Kaginele swamiji and sought their blessings. He was accompanied by BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa, K S Eshwarappa and others.

Interestingly, Jagadguru Niranjananad Puri Swamiji, the pontiff of the Kaginele Kanaka Gurupeeth was not available at the mutt as he was attending Rahul Gandhi’s visit at Belavadi of Harihar taluk.