BENGALURU: The ruling BJP seems to be going all out to woo the dominant Vokkaliga community even as it is trying to make inroads into the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region ahead of assembly bypolls. As part of its initiatives to woo the community, the state government headed by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has decided to install a mammoth statue of Kempegowda at Bengaluru International Airport. The government has also decided to reconstitute the Kempegowda Development Board and release Rs 100 crore.

On Friday, the CM took to social media to announce his government’s decision of installing the statue. “To make Bengaluru founder Kempegowda immortal the government will take several initiatives and has also decided to install a mammoth statue of Kempegowda at the airport. The government decided to release Rs 100 crore,” the CM tweeted.

The announcement is seen as the BJP government’s attempts to win over the Vokkaliga community, especially after some sections of the community accused the Central government of selectively targeting its leaders. Earlier this week, a number of Vokkaliga organisations had called for a massive protest in Bengaluru against former Congress minister D K Shivakumar’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. Many community leaders accused the Central government of selectively targeting their community leaders. 

BJP leaders have rubbished the charge by stating that the party or the government has nothing to do with the probe being conducted by the central agencies.Sources said that the Yediyurappa government’s decision to reconstitute the development board and installing the statue would help win the community’s goodwill at a time when BJP is putting efforts to make inroads into the Old Mysuru region. During its membership drive, the party is laying special emphasis on gaining a strong foothold in the Vokkaliga dominated region. While the Lingayat community in North Karnataka strongly backed Yediyurappa and his party, the Vokkaliga community in the Old Mysuru region had supported JDS and Congress during the 2018 assembly polls.