Shivamogga/Bengaluru, Oct 29: Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy kicked off a three-day campaign on Sunday in BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa’s turf Shivamogga, to propel the prospects of party candidate Madhu Bangarappa.
The CM will also campaign for Congress candidate V S Ugrappa in Ballari on October 31, party sources said. The JD(S) and Congress are facing bypolls together but the CM had so far only campaigned for JD(S) candidates in Mandya and Ramanagara. In Shivamogga, the Congress is supporting JD(S) candidate Madhu Bangarappa, who is pitted against Yeddyurappa’s son B Y Raghavendra.
After landing in Shivamogga on Sunday afternoon, Kumaraswamy told reporters that his statement on his health had been misinterpreted by the media. “I didn’t say I will not live long. I meant I was lucky to live after the Israel trip (where he suffered a second heart attack). I got a second life to serve the people.”
Addressing a rally at Shiralkoppa town, Kumaraswamy said he is the chief minister of farmers and committed to their welfare. “The BJP is making a lot of strategies to destabilise the government. They are luring Congress and JD(S) legislators with money and power. But it will not work.”
In a tweet, former chief minister Siddaramaiah also hit out at the BJP for predicting that the JD(S)-Congress government would fall, and warned it against indulging in Operation Lotus again, saying the saffron party was already in a state of “coma” due to its past deeds. Siddaramaiah’s tweet came in response to repeated comments by Yeddyurappa and other BJP leaders expressing doubts about the continuance of the coalition government.
Hitting back at BJP leader K S Eshwarappa, who released an open letter appealing to Kumaraswamy not to speak about his health to gain sympathy and cover up his bloopers, Kumaraswamy said that Eshwarappa should give his free advice to Yeddyurappa on how to behave in the assembly.
In the letter, Eshwarappa also said that coalition leaders should respect women, quoting recent statements by the Jarkiholi brothers against Laxmi Hebbalkar, and former CM Siddaramaiah’s statement against BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje.
Kumaraswamy will camp in Shivamogga till Wednesday and address eight rallies and a press conference.
JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda campaigned for Anita Kumaraswamy, JD(S) candidate in Ramanagara, and appealed to JD(S) and Congress workers to work together to ensure the defeat of the BJP. Congress leader and Bengaluru Rural MP D K Suresh accompanied him. Gowda will also campaign for Congress candidate V S Ugrappa in Ballari on Monday.
Comments
Add new comment