Congress' Karnataka leaders meet Shettar, express solidarity

Bengaluru, May 16 (IANS) Karnataka's former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who jumped from the BJP to the Congress, might have lost in the Assembly elections but the Congress is all set to give him a big role considering his contribution to its victory.

Senior leaders - former Deputy Chief Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara and former state Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao paid a visit to his residence here on Tuesday as per the instructions of the party high command and thanked him for the support.

Shettar told the media that it was a cordial meeting. "I had campaigned in 15 constituencies," he said.

He stated that the BJP has lost power because it humiliated the Lingayat community. "They (BJP) should explain why they asked (Chief Minister B.S.) Yediyurappa to step down? Yediyurappa was in tears. I was humiliated by denying me a ticket. All this resulted in the defeat of the BJP," he said.

Shettar lost from Hubballi-Dharwad Central seat against BJP candidate Mahesh Tenginakayi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah made it a point to defeat Shettar who defected to Congress from the BJP.

Yediyurappa was stationed in Hubballi and personally held meetings to ensure his defeat. He even announced that he will give it in blood that Shettar will be defeated. However, Shettar was made a star campaigner by the Congress.

Shettar toured north Karnataka and narrated how he was humiliated by the BJP and alleged that BJP wants to finish off Lingayat leadership. The damage was done and the Lingayat vote bank of BJP had got divided and shifted to the Congress.

To keep the Lingayat vote divided and garner a major chunk of it, the Congress has decided to pursue its mission. Sources say that since the BJP wants to politically finish off Shettar, Congress wants to see to it that Shettar is given a big role. Shettar has got emboldened and started fresh attacks on the BJP.

He had questioned the discretion of BJP leadership to give plum posts to Pralhad Joshi and Niramala Sitharaman and allot low key portfolios to other communities. This shows the priorities of BJP, he had said.

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