From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Hubballi, May 8: Obviously rattled by the support extended by the so-called Veerashaiva Lingayat Forum to the opposition Congress party in the assembly elections, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday sought to reassure his partymen and supporters by asserting that ‘there is no such Forum in existence’ and claimed that it was a ‘fictitious body’ aimed at confusing the voters.

The Chief Minister, who is in Hubballi on the last day of the ending of the public campaigning for the May 10 assembly polls, told media persons on Monday that the Veerashaiva Lingayat community was too big and it was not under the control of any specific body.

“I respect the Veerashaiva Mahasabha and its President,’’ he said and mentioned that it was not correct to use the name of the Mahasabha during elections.

Bommai made it clear that the so called Veerashaiva Lingayat Forum is an organisation, which was floated during the elections, and asserted that just because four persons saying something cannot be deemed as the voice of the community.

“The Veerashaiva Lingayat community is too vast like an ocean,’’ he said.

The Chief Minister claimed that there was no evidence of corruption against BJP anywhere. “In fact, the Election Commission had asked the Congress to provide ‘empirical evidence’ for the party’s newspaper advertisement on corruption rate cards or 40% commission government. But the Congress is unable to oblige,’’ he said.

Bommai pointed out that the Congress has no moral authority to speak accuse BJP of corruption when its own leaders were facing several cases of corruption and were running around courts.

On the charges by Congress leaders M B Patil and Lakshmi Hebbalkar as to why the IT and ED were targeting only the Congress leaders and not those of BJP, Bommai said the Central agencies must have specific information. ``Let them not commit irregularities,’’ he said.

The Chief Minister said there was nothing wrong in BJP’s national leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, campaigning and conducting roadshows because they have an ‘emotional attachment’ with Karnataka and their campaigning has given a ‘booster dose’ to BJP.