From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Apr 12: Reacting to the long-delayed BJP’s first list of candidates for 189 constituencies, KPCC Chief D K Shivakumar said disgruntlement has already started in the ruling party and warned that the major upheavals are in store for ruling BJP.
Speaking to media persons in Bengaluru on Wednesday, the KPCC Chief said: “Politics is not a football game, where the players kick the ball. It is more like chess. BJP has played is pieces and let them continue. We too know the game and will know how to checkmate them and win.’’
Shivakumar said the BJP thinks they can tie him down to his Kanakapura constituency or Siddaramaiah in Varuna by fielding Housing Minister V Somanna against the former chief minister or Revenue Minister R Ashok against me merely because the two BJP leaders belong to Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities.
“This kind of game will not work,’’ he said declaring that the party knows how to counter them.
The KPCC Chief said he too had contested against JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda in 1985 and against H D Kumaraswamy later. “I am used to this kind of games. My life is full of political fights,’’ he said.
Shivakumar refuted the allegation that Congress has fielded a weak candidate against R Ashok in Padmanabhanagar due to internal adjustment and clarified that the JD(S) has fielded a Naidu while Congress had fielded a Vokkaliga in 2018. The JD(S) came second while Congress was third. “Now, we have fielded a Naidu and know our strengths,’’ he said.
Senior BJP leaders Padmaraj, Umesh and others along with his supporters joined the Congress party in the presence of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. “This is only the beginning. Many more leaders from BJP and JD(S) are joining. We will announce their names after everything is finalized. I don’t want to pre-empt them’’ he declared.
The KPCC chief pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked the voters in 2014 to first bow down their heads to LPG cylinders before voting against the price rise. “We have asked all voters and our party workers to start their campaign at every block and booth level by bowing down before the gas cylinders as the prices have hit the roof,’’ he said.