Former chief minister and JDSLP leader H D Kumaraswamy charged that Anand Singh, who used to say that I in still in politics because of you Kumaranna, had backstabbed me by joining the BJP.

Speaking at an election campaign for JD(S) candidate from Vijayanagar N M Nabi at Kamalapur, Kumaraswamy said, “Anand Singh used to say that every grain of rice he eats has my name. He took my help and joined the BJP. The voters of the constituency should not fall prey to his (Singh’s) money made in mining.”

In 2018, Anand Singh had quit the BJP and got elected on Congress ticket. He, however, returned to the saffron party fold, a year later. Why didn’t he build Vijayanagar empire (district) when he was in the BJP (till 2018), Kumaraswamy sought to know.

On Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s Veerashaiva- Lingayat vote call, Kumaraswamy said, “By saying Veerashaiva-Lingayat votes should not go out of the BJP, Yediyurappa is only misusing the community to further his political interests. His statement has left the other communities alienated.” He, however, said that Nabi will win if Muslims in Vijayanagar constituency stay united.