Not targeting Bommai because he’s Lingayat, says Shivakumar

Shivakumar was reacting to Health Minister K Sudhakar’s suggestion that the Congress was targeting Bommai because he is a Lingayat

Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar on Monday denied allegations that his party was targeting Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai because he is a Lingayat, a narrative attributed to a BJP minister.

“Did [Bommai] become the CM on the basis of him being a Lingayat? He’s in power as per the Constitution. We’re targeting the government and he is the head of the government,” Shivakumar told reporters.

Shivakumar was reacting to Health Minister K Sudhakar’s suggestion that Congress was targeting Bommai because he is a Lingayat.

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“They did a similar thing when Veerendra Patil was CM. They always target the major communities. Everyone who gives good government, especially chief ministers from the Lingayat community, is targeted,” Sudhakar had said on Sunday, adding that even Kengal Hanumanthaiah, a Vokkaliga, was not spared.

The Veerashaiva-Lingayat community is estimated to form about 16% of the state’s population and is considered to be the BJP’s core support base.

Sudhakar was attacking Congress for its ‘PayCM’ campaign targeting Bommai over corruption allegations. The viral campaign that involved pasting posters with Bommai’s face on a QR code is based on the ‘40% commission’ allegation made by the Karnataka State Contractors Association.

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Sudhakar said Sunday that the ‘PayCM’ campaign would backfire on Congress. “They had 1-2% chance, which they’ve lost. Have you ever seen a former chief minister paste posters? It’s shameful,” Sudhakar said, referring to Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah.

Karnataka Congress’ communications chief Priyank Kharge said the BJP is desperate. “The ‘40%’ tag isn’t going away. When they don’t have an answer, they play the communal card,” he said.

“Why didn’t anybody speak when BS Yediyurappa faced an FIR two weeks ago? Yediyurappa, when he was removed as CM, had tears. Where was their concern then? Contractor Santosh Patil killed himself. A pontiff said mutts have to pay a cut. Is the BJP trying to say that corruption done by some communities is okay? Why are they spoiling Basavanna’s name?” Kharge