Bagalakot: Union Home Minister and party’s chief electoral strategist Amit Shah on Tuesday said the state will be engulfed in riots and appeasement politics if Congress comes to power.
“If Congress comes even by mistake, give ears to me, there will be all-time high corruption. There will be high-time appeasement. There will be all-time high dynastic politics, and the whole of Karnataka will be engulfed in riots.
Friends, do you want the ban on the People’s Front of India to be lifted? Do you want it? Congress party said ban on PFI was not required,” he said addressing a rally at Terdal in Bagalkote district.
On Congress giving tickets to Ex-BJP heavyweights Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi, Shah said it shows the bankruptcy of the grand old party and said their exit from the BJP will not benefit Congress in the May 10 assembly election because it had always insulted Lingayat leaders.
“And just now one or two of our leaders have left the party, so they (Congress) feel that they have got a big advantage. I want to tell the Congress party that you are not going to get any benefit because you have always insulted the Lingayat community.
“In this long rule of the Congress party, only two Lingayat Chief Ministers were made – Mr Nijalingappa and Virender Patil, and both of them were thrown out, and you (Congress) are contesting elections on the basis of the leaders who exited BJP. This shows that bankruptcy has gripped the Congress party,” he said.
Shah also blamed the Congress for removing BS Yediyurappa as chief minister by using JDS and said people of Kittur Karnataka will not tolerate the insult heaped on Lingayat leaders.
“When BJP made Yeddyurappa ji the Chief Minister, it was this very Congress party that removed Yeddyurappa by using JDS … but the people of Karnataka, especially people of Kittur Karnataka will not tolerate this,” he said.
Kittur Karnaraka is the bastion of Lingayats.
Shah also reiterated that vote for JDS means vote for Congress. “Another party is also contesting the election – the JDS party. Vote for JDS means vote for Congress. Tell me, whatever the number of seats JDS will get, will it not go with the Congress ultimately? Tell me. If you don’t want to vote for Congress, then vote directly for BJP. We will develop Karnataka under PM Modi ji’s leadership,” he said.
