State BJP President B S Yeddyurappa alleged that the Congress had engineered the divide between Veerashaiva and Lingayat with the sole intention of preventing him from becoming the Chief Minister.
By recommending that the Centre grant separate religion status to Veerashaiva-Lingayat (Basava Tatva), the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government was preventing him from becoming CM, Yeddyurappa added.
He was speaking at Sneha Milana programme organised by district BJP at NDV hostel premises here on Wednesday.
Yeddyurappa, however, exuded confidence that he would take oath as the next Chief Minister of Karnataka either on May 17 or 18 depending on the convenience of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said the first decision he would take after assuming charge as Chief Minister was to waive off crop loans borrowed by farmers from cooperative banks and set aside Rs 10,000 crore for the implementation of irrigation projects.
The 75-year-old said the party has fielded candidates in 224 constituencies on the basis of a survey conducted by the party and his also instructions. The party's goal was to win 150 seats in the polls. Nobody has been ignored in this regard, he assured.
He also stated that District BJP president S Rudre Gouda has been toiling for the party's victory in Shivamogga urban. Gouda would be made MLC soon after the party comes to power as per the instruction is given by BJP national president Amit Shah.
Reacting to the allegation that Lingayats were conspiring to defeat Eshwarappa in Shivamogga, Yeddyurappa said this was far from the truth. Eshwarappa would win by a 25,000 vote margin, he claimed.
Defending mining baron and tainted Janardhan Reddy's participation in the election campaigns for the party, he said it would help the party to win 10 to 12 seats.
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