Bengaluru, May 24 (Deccan Chronicle): In a surprising change of heart, state BJP chief, B S Yeddyurappa turned advocate for former Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah on Wednesday, claiming he had been ditched by the Congress high command although he had single-handedly ensured the victory of 78 of its MLAs with the support of his Kuruba community.

Yeddyurappa, who was participating in the ‘Anti People’s Mandate Day’ observed by the BJP, said the Congress had forgotten Siddaramaiah’s contribution and was being disrespectful to his Kuruba community by joining hands with the JD(S) in an “unholy alliance.”

His sudden sympathy for the former Chief Minister after the bitter battle the two recently fought in the just concluded Assembly elections has expectedly set tongues wagging with some claiming that he was trying to take advantage of Siddaramaiah being sidelined in the Congress and also gain the backing of the Kuruba community himself.

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The BJP leader gave an open invitation to disgruntled Congress leaders to join his party and help it form the government in Karnataka without actually naming Congress leader, D.K. Shivakumar, who is reportedly disappointed at not being made deputy Chief Minister.

Coming down on the Congress and regional party leaders for “ganging up” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the oath taking ceremony of H D Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister in the city, Yeddyurappa said it would make no difference and the BJP would win all 28 Lok Sabha seats from the state in the 2019 elections.

Claiming that the friendship between the Congress and JD(S) would not last three months, he said if the Assembly was dissolved at this very moment, the BJP would get over 130 seats in the state. “Over 90 per cent of Congress MLAs are unhappy with the JD(S) and can any time switch over to the BJP,” he warned.

Yeddyurappa added that if Kumaraswamy failed to waive the crop loans of farmers, he would mobilise lakhs of farmers and call for a Karnataka bandh.