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Shettar flays Cong over 10% quota, Lingayat issues
Manjunath Hegde Bomnalli
DHNS
Last Updated IST
BJP leader and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar. DH File photo.
BJP leader and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar. DH File photo.

BJP leader and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar on Thursday asked Congress leaders, who led the separate religion agitation for Lingayat fauth, why the 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) for upper classes is not implemented in the state though it would have benefitted the Lingayats also.

“The Congress-JD(S) coalition government could have implemented the EWS quota just by issuing a government order. But it is not doing so fearing that the credit would go to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It shows that their concern about Lingayat community was a false one,” Shettar charged.

He told media persons here that what Home Minister M B Patil would say about Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency Congress candidate Vinay Kulkarni meeting seers and saying that Lingayat independent religion issue is irrelevant now.

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Shettar charged that the Congress raises issues related to caste and religion when elections come and they even misguided the seers in the Lingayat issue. It was Siddaramaiah-motivated agitation to divide the society, he alleged.

He said the Mahaghatbandhan is an alliance of confusions and added that BJP would win over 300 seats in Lok Sabha elections, including 22 to 24 seats in Karnataka, mainly due to a stronger Modi wave this time.

‘Magic after polls’

Shettar said after BJP secures more seats in Lok Sabha elections, either Congress would withdraw its support to JD(S) or H D Kumaraswamy himself would resign.

BJP state unit president Yeddyurappa would become the chief minister again and there would be magic to gain the number required to prove the majority.