Don't know what's in the mind of Modi, Shah on BJP's alliance with JD(S) for LS polls: Yediyurappa
Bengaluru (PTI): Veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa on Thursday said he doesn't know as to what is in the minds of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the saffron party having an understanding with JD(S) for 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The former CM, who was in New Delhi on Wednesday to take part in the meeting of the BJP's central election committee, of which he is the member, made it clear that no discussion took place regarding the alliance, during the visit.
"Amid election and other issues, other subjects (BJP-JD(S) poll understanding) did not come up for discussion. After the meeting I have come back. Neither did they (BJP national leadership), nor did I raise any other subjects," Yediyurappa said in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters here, he said he doesn't know what was in the minds of Modi and Amit Shah regarding the poll alliance.
Asked whether there were any reservations from the state BJP about the alliance with JD(S), Yediyurappa, who is also the member of the BJP's all important parliamentary board, said, "what Delhi leadership says is more important. This issue did not come up for discussion yesterday during my Delhi visit."
Certainly, whatever decision is taken by high command in Delhi will be after due consultation with the state leadership, he said. But, so far no such discussions have taken place with regard to poll understanding and other issues.
To a query on his personal opinion regarding the alliance, he said, "... we will all abide by whatever decision the party takes."
Yediyurappa, who is also a BJP parliamentary board member, had last week said that his party will have an understanding with JD(S) for the Lok Sabha elections. The regional party will contest in four LS seats in Karnataka, which has a total of 28 constituencies.
However, he subsequently said that discussions in this regard have not reached finality yet, and that Modi and Shah, who are busy with other responsibilities, may discuss and decide on the issue in a couple of days and decide.
On his part, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy said discussions on BJP and his party contesting the Lok Sabha polls together are still in the initial phase.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
