Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa’s son BY Vijayendra, who got the party ticket from Shikaripura on Wednesday, hit out at Congress for creating a divide in the Lingayat community and assured that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP enjoy the full support of the community.

This comes after Jagadish Shettar became the second senior leader from the Lingayat community to leave the ruling BJP and join Congress in less than a week. Former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi joined the Congress on Friday.

While talking to ANI, Vijayendra said, “People in Karnataka know who has ditched the Lingayat community. Everyone knows that it was the Congress party that fought against the Lingayat community. So, I am confident, not only the lingayat community but every section of other communities will support BJP and they will support Narendra Modi ji.”

“The lingayat community is not with the family but with BJP. Ofcourse we are happy and proud that they have trusted Yediyurappa’s leadership and at the same time they trust PM Narendra Modi ji’s leadership also. The community is strongly behind BJP and the Prime Minister,” he added.

Alleging Congress of corruption and denying the party’s 40 per cent government allegations, Vijayendra said, “As far as corruption is concerned, the people of Karnataka and the rest of the country know about the doings of the Congress party. Everyone whats to see the double-engine government as they want to prosper under the dynamic leadership of PM Modi as well as BJP Karnataka.”

Exuding happiness for contesting his first election from Shikaripura, Vijayendra said, “Shikaripura constituency is important for BJP. For the past 40 years, the constituency has been blessing my father Yediyurappa ji. I am happy that I will be contesting my first election from this constituency.”

“People of Karnataka trust PM Modi ji’s leadership. All the leaders of the BJP in Karnataka are working together. I have full faith that BJP will be elected with full majority in the state once again,” he added.

On contesting the forthcoming elections without Yediyurappa, he said, “This is a challenge in front of the BJP. This is because it is the first time that we are contesting the elections without Yediyurappa ji. Despite the resignation, Yediyurappa is leading from the front so we believe that under his leadership and the leadership of CM Basavaraj Bommai, we will come back to power in Karnataka.”

Accusing Congress of creating a divide in the Lingayat Community, he said, “Nothing new for Congress party. If you see, when Siddaramaiah was CM of Karnataka and when he completed his five years, everyone thought that Congress is going to come back to power. But when they saw that they are not going to come back to power because of Yediyurappa ji and BJP, they created a divide in the lingayat community. Congress can stoop to any level.”

BJP national president JP Nadda on Tuesday slammed the Congress saying that the party that divided the country for seven decades is now itself divided.
“In the 70 years of Congress (rule) there was division, division, division and only division. Divide society as much as you can– north-south, language, caste, creed, religion. The fact is, by dividing and dividing, they themselves are divided now. BJP is unity in diversity,” Nadda said.

Nadda’s stinging remarks came while interacting with intellectuals at BVB Engineering College Auditorium, Vidhya Nagar, in the city.

BJP president JP Nadda, who was in Karnataka, attacked the Congress on Tuesday accusing its leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of being a “patron” of PFI.

“Former CM Siddaramaiah from Congress party withdrew cases against PFI, released 1,700 PFI activists from jail…Siddaramaiah is their patron…,” Nadda said in Hubballi. The Centre banned the Popular Front of India (PFI) in September last year.

The Congress on Tuesday announced its candidate against Chief Minister Bommai from Shiggaon. The party has fielded Mohammed Yousuf Savanur from the seat. The party announced seven candidates on Tuesday and fielded former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar from Hubli-Dharwad-Central.

Jagadish Shettar’s resignation from BJP and his joining Congress on Monday has made Hubballi-Dharwad Central a key battle in the assembly polls. Shettar, a six-time MLA, represented the seat in the outgoing assembly and was keen to be given a ticket from the constituency.

Basavaraj Bommai said voters from the Lingayat community “are vigilant and “have taken right decision when required”.

“Lingayat voters in Karnataka are vigilant and they have always taken the right decision when required. Congress Party has shown special love for them (Lingayat) after the Assembly elections were announced but it’s the same party which tried to divide the Lingayats and Veerashaivas. The people have not forgotten the divide-and-rule policy of the Congress party,” Bommai told reporters.

“All those leaders who joined Congress during the election would not make any impact on the BJP’s prospects. This time, the BJP will win more seats than in the 2018 Assembly polls,” he added.

The term of the current Karnataka Legislative Assembly will end on May 24. The counting of votes for the 224-seat Assembly will be done on May 13.