Eshwarappa's brigade holds massive convention amidst BJP boycott

Haveri, Oct 2: In spite of boycott by Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, the first formal convention of the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade held on Saturday in Haveri attracted thousands of dalits and backward class people.

“It is just a beginning,” said K S Eshwarappa, the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council and the brain behind this so called apolitical brigade, while addressing the gathering at the Municipal High School Ground, K S Eshwarappa. “We will show the strength of the oppressed and exploited at the mega convention at Koodalasangama on January 26,” he added.

Following instructions from Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa, the Haveri district BJP chief Shivaraj Sajjan and former minister C?M?Udasi had asked party leaders not to attend the programme. Hence, other than Eshwarappa loyalist Somanna Bevinamarada and Brigade president K?Virupakshappa, no leader of significance attended the rally.

After speeches by leaders of different communities, the former Minister S.A. Ravindranath, HINDA leader K. Mukudappa, State president of the brigade K. Virupakshappa, Somanna Bevinamarad, MLC, and others, Mr. Eshwarappa clarified that the convention aimed at strengthening the BJP. He expressed the confidence that it would help the party get at least 30 to 40 seats alone with the support of the backward classes and Dalits.

Elaborating on the objective of the brigade, Mr. Eshwarappa said that it was meant to provide justice to the oppressed who were treated as a vote bank by the Congress.

“Congress leaders were under the impression that with the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa opposing the convention, the BJP would be another divided house and the convention would not attract many people. However, the participation of people in the convention has disappointed the Congress,” he said.

Taking a dig at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for failing to initiate works of the Social Welfare Department, he said that the Chief Minister should apologise to the people of the State. “Even six months after presenting the budget, no action plan has been prepared. The Chief Minister still has time to rectify his mistakes.”

Mr. Eshwarappa said that the plan was to get Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the convention of the brigade in the run-up to the next Assembly elections in 2018.

Although religious heads attended the convention, Mr. Eshwarappa claimed that several seers of mutts of the oppressed classes had extended support to the brigade. The former police officer Sangram Singh, the former Minister Sogadu Shivanna, the former MLAs Jagadish Metagud, and Nemiraj Nayak, and former bureaucrat S. Puttaswamy were present.