Congress in K'taka depends on Yediyurappa's move to act accordingly, says HD Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru, Jun 30: Former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday said Congress leaders depend on BJP strongman B S Yediyurappa's future course of action.
The Congress leaders in Karnataka are waiting for Yediyurappa's move to act accordingly. The Congress leaders are watching former Chief Minister Yediyurappa's activities and the subsequent developments taking place in the BJP, Kumaraswamy, the JD(S) second-in-command, told reporters during an event in the party head office.
He refused to comment on the Congress party's claim of winning 130 seats in the general Assembly election next year.
I will not comment on their internal survey but we will certainly achieve our target, Kumaraswamy said.
The JD(S) leader blamed the BJP and the Congress for joining hands with big survey companies and issuing flawed survey reports. However, the media reports show the status of the national parties, he added.
Lashing out at the Congress, he said the party has demonstrated during the Rajya Sabha election, who is the B-Team of the BJP.
To a query on former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's claim that some JD(S) MLAs were in touch with him, Kumaraswamy said some people might be in touch with him (Siddaramaiah) but there is squabbling in Congress, which would come out in a month.
What's the point in going to a sinking ship? The Congress is sinking across India, the JD(S) leader said.
Kumaraswamy said the party is addressing the challenges in achieving its target of winning 123 seats in the next Assembly election.
Regarding the Karnataka High Court's observation that the State Anti-Corruption Bureau itself has become a collection centre', the JD(S) leader said there cannot be more shameful when the High Court observes that the head of ACB himself is corrupt.
There is no point in carrying out raids. Numerous raids had been carried out but tell me in how many officers faced action. Cash, gold, investment documents of the officers involved in corruption are shown but is there a single instance of taking action against them? asked Kumaraswamy.
He charged that Rs five crore worth of property was found during a raid at an IAS officer's house when Siddaramaiah was the Chief Minister but no action was taken against him.
The JD(S) leader said his party would launch Janata Mitra' (people's friend) campaign from Friday for 17 days in Bengaluru.
In these 17 days, the party would cover the 28 Assembly constituencies in the city, Kumaraswamy said adding that 15 LED vehicles have been hired to tell the people of the city about the mission and objectives of the JD(S).
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Delhi Polls: BJP faces protest, placates MLA amid resentment over ticket distribution
New Delhi, Jan 12: Resentment surfaced in the BJP on Sunday over ticket distribution for Delhi Assembly polls, with a protest held outside its Delhi unit office and an angry outburst by the outgoing MLA from Karawal Nagar who was not included in the candidate list released a day earlier.
As MLA Mohan Singh Bisht threatened to revolt after being denied a ticket from Karawal Nagar, the party rushed to control the damage and announced his candidature from the Mustafabad seat this evening.
A group of protesters from Tughlakabad in South Delhi held a dharna at the gate of the Delhi BJP office, demanding a change in the candidate from the constituency.
"Vikram Bidhuri Tum Sangharsh Karo; Modi Se Bair Nahi, Rohtas Teri Khair Nahi," the protesters, including mostly youngsters, chanted as the party leaders tried to pacify them.
In the second list of BJP candidates for the polls declared on Saturday, Rohtas Bidhuri was fielded from the Tughlakabad seat. In 2020 Assembly polls, Vikram Bidhuri who is a relative of senior party leader Ramesh Bidhuri, lost to AAP's Sahiram by over 13,000 votes.
A similar protest was also held by some party workers outside the Delhi BJP office against Mehrauli candidate Gajainder Yadav after the announcement of the first list of candidates earlier this month.
Bisht, the senior-most BJP MLA in the outgoing Assembly elected five times from Karawal Nagar, openly expressed unhappiness over being denied the ticket to contest from his stronghold.
A senior party leader said he was pacified after a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda.
Bisht, after getting the ticket from Mustafabad, expressed confidence that he would win the seat for the BJP.
"I met the national president and things were ironed out. I have assured that I will contest from Mustafabad and win the seat for the party," Bisht told PTI.
The MLA said he and the BJP had considerable support in Mustafabad and he has already attended two public meetings there.
The BJP won the Mustafabad seat, having a significant minority community presence, in the 2015 Assembly polls but lost it to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2020.
Earlier in the day, Bisht told PTI that the party's decision to replace him with Kapil Mishra was "wrong" and its consequences will be visible after voting on February 5.
"You have challenged the 'samaj' (his Uttarakhandi community), not Mohan Singh Bisht. The BJP will lose at least 8-10 seats because of this decision, including Karawal Nagar, Burari, Mustafabad and Gokalpuri," Bisht warned.
The BJP fielded Kapil Mishra, a Hindutva hardliner, from Karwal Nagar in North East Delhi, which was rocked by massive communal violence just after the 2020 Assembly polls.
Sources in the party claimed that there was also "deep resentment" among the Delhi BJP's Scheduled Castes Morcha leaders over being denied tickets from different constituencies including Madipur and Kondli.
A top Delhi BJP functionary stressed that there are many ticket aspirants, so it is natural for those who did not get selected to feel disappointed.
"The BJP is a disciplined party and its leaders understand this. Sooner or later, everyone will realise this and work for the victory of the party giving up their resentment," he said.
The elections to 70 Assembly seats in Delhi are scheduled on February 5. Results will be out after the counting of votes on February 8.
The BJP, out of power in Delhi since 1998, is making all-out efforts to return to power. In the 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls, the party was completely routed by the AAP, scraping through with just three and eight seats, respectively.
