BJP leader K S Eshwarappa ruffled some feathers on Saturday when he indicated that his party would tie up with the JD(S) to fight the upcoming BBMP polls.

Eshwarappa, who made this declaration during his congratulatory speech following the election to the post of deputy chairman of the Legislative Council, said the election was a precursor to the alliance between the JD(S) and the BJP in the upcoming elections.

The provoked ruling party members cried foul and targeted the JD(S) for forsaking its secular principles to tie up with the saffron party. “Thene hottha mahile, iga taavare hortaiddale (the woman who carried hay will now carry a lotus),” mocked the ruling party chief whip R V Venkatesh, taking a dig at the JD(S) party symbol.

Further, Eshwarappa said the Congress had also exploited the dalit community to suit its convenience. An enraged Veeranna Mathikatti (Congress) demanded that Eshwarappa restrain himself from soiling the parliamentary procedure by making political statements.
Even Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra requested Eshwarappa to not make political speeches.

However, Maritibbegowda later told the media that there was no such understanding between the two parties.

His party leader H D Kumaraswamy also  dismissed Eshwarappa’s claims. Kumaraswamy said the JD(S) would fight the upcoming BBMP elections on its own. “We don’t need the assistance of anybody to fight these polls, or any other polls in the future,” he said.