BJP Lingayat leaders counter Kulkarni’s comment

Hubballi: BJP leaders countered Congress Dharwad candidate Vinay Kulkarni’s allegation that Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi was using Lingayat leaders in BJP to respond to Kulkarni’s allegations.
Kulkarni had earlier said Joshi was not allowing Lingayat leaders to grow in BJP

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, MLAs Arvind Bellad, Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, CM Nimbannavar and Amrut Desai said that though people ensured Kulkarni’s defeat in the assembly election and yet he had not learnt a lesson.

“He should understand that we Lingayat leaders of BJP have our own ability to react to his statements and we are not forced by Joshi to do so. Kulkarni has also made similar remarks against former CM Jagadish Shettar, which is highly condemnable. It’s a great insult to the whole Lingayat community,” they added.

MLC Pradeep Shettar said BJP has given justice to Lingayats by making B S Yeddyurappa and Jagadish Shettar chief ministers. “Our national leaders have already announced Yeddyurappa as the next CM. Lingayat voters of Dharwad have elected six MLAs out eight constituencies. But Kulkarni had allowed only one Lingayat candidate in his party to contest from the district during the assembly election. His party has been suppressing Lingayats right from the sacking of Veerendra Patil from the chief minister’s post,” he said.

Former MLA Chikkanagoudar and former MP Manjunath Kunnur said Kulkarni had not done any development work as Dharwad district minister. “As he doesn’t have any issue to campaign, he is misguiding Lingayats by saying Joshi is anti-Lingayat,” they said.

When asked about none of nine Lingayat MPs from the state being given a cabinet berth in theCentre, they said the party had given many berths to Lingayat MLAs when it was in power in the state. “Lingayat MPs will also get cabinet berths in the centre in the coming days,” they added.

They also ruled out the possibility of keeping Yeddyurappa away from the CM’s post citing his age as the reason.