PM to campaign in Karnataka afternomination process over: CM Bommai

(Our Special Correspondent)
Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will come to Karnataka for the election campaign after the completion of the nomination process for the coming Assembly polls, said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
He clarified to reporters on Thursday that no decision has been made regarding the lingayat chief minister as the meeting of lingayat leaders that was held under the leadership of former CM B.S.Yediyurappa to take stock of the current political situation in the State. A few leaders have given suggestions on how to respond to the miscampaign being done by the Congress leaders and also regarding the lingayat CM. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who participated in the meeting has said he would convey their feelings to the Delhi leaders. “No decision has been taken regarding the announcement of the lingayat CM”.
Campaign to start from a Military Hotel: Responding to KPCC President D.K.Shivakumar’s statement inviting Minister R. Ashok to visit a Military Hotel in Kanakapura, the CM said the BJP campaign would start from there. The local people would be present there but Shivakumar would not meet them. “Ashok is going to meet the general public…what’s a mistake in it. Why they must not go to the Military Hotel? The work of bringing back all those who had deserted the party is going on and it is happening in district and hobli level.
Congress is anti-lingayat: Bommai said since 1967 till this date, the Congress Party has not made a lingayat as the chief minister in Karnataka. Veteran Congress leader, Veerendra Patil served as the CM just for nine months but he was unceremoniously removed from the post just because he did not gel with the party. The statement regarding his removal from the post was made at the airport. The way in which M.Rajashekar Murthy was handled was also equally bad. The Congress party tried to divide the lingayat religion. The people would not pardon that party for doing it just for the vote bank politics. The Congress party cheated Dalits, backward classes, and lingayats.