Madhu Bangarappa is not a ‘sacrificial goat’: CM HDK

Shivamogga: “The purpose and intention behind the Congress-Janata Dal (S) coalition is to send out a message to the nation that we will help sustain a better future for this nation. We have not taken the upcoming three Lok Sabha and two Vidhana Sabha by-polls for granted as the BJP is trying to portray. We have taken this election very seriously”, said Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy here, on Tuesday, October 16.

Addressing a press conference, he said, “We have chosen Madhu Bangarappa as the candidate from JDS-Congress coalition. Many said that it’s God’s game. Senior leader Kagodu Thimmappa was the first to suggest Madhu Bangarappa as the candidate. All the Congress and the JDS leaders are with his choice in accepting Madhu Bangarappa as the candidate from Shivamogga.”

“We have chosen him considering the majority of suggestions in his favour. His selection as a candidate has now sent tremors in the BJP camp. It is not as sarcastic as what the BJP is saying. This is God’s game and in this game, the BJP will miserably lose”, he added.

Elections under the leadership of Kagodu Thimmappa
CM Kumaraswamy said, “Kagodu Thimmappa is one of the veteran leaders of the state. He has been a part of several movements. We are blessed to have him with us. This election will be lead by him.”

“The Congress and JDS workers will collectively partake in the canvassing for Madhu Bangarappa and help him win the elections. There is nothing personal about this election. This is just an alternate strength in order to face the 2019 Lok Sabha polls”, he added.

‘BJP’s exercise will be wasteful’
Taunting the BJP leaders, CM HDK said, “The BJP party is standing tiptoe to impose deadlines on the coalition government. They should put a full stop on this. They say that the coalition government will dissolve by November 6, 10, so on and so forth. This is not going to yield them any positive results. They will get an apt answer after the Vidhana Sabha and Lok Sabha by-polls. The people will give them a befitting answer.”

‘Madhu Bangarappa is not a sacrificial goat’
As a staunch reply to the BJP’s sarcasm on Madhu Bangarappa contesting the election, CM Kumaraswamy said, “The BJP is frightened about Madhu Bangarappa contesting the elections and that’s the reason they are of the opinion that he is being sacrificed like a goat. Let me be clear here that he is not a goat to be sacrificed. He is the son of Late S Bangarappa, who is regarded as one of the finest politicians that this state has ever seen.”

“We were not under any compulsion on Madhu Bangarappa being the candidate. We are doing this to give a fresh message to the state on behalf of the coalition, and not with an intention of making him a sacrificial goat”, he added.

‘BJP has not availed a contract of Hindutva’
“The BJP has a habit of contesting elections with ‘Hindutva’ as its agenda. The party members have still not understood, our Constitution. Nobody has given them the contract of ‘Hindutva.’ We are all Hindus. In the current context, Hindutva is not important but the solution for poverty”, said CM HDK.

Adding to this, he said, “The fuel prices have reached the sky. Even though the prices are dropping in the international market, the Centre is constantly raising the price. A party which is leading the government in the Centre, has no interest in farmers’ loan waiver from the nationalised banks and speaks about Hindutva. They should be ashamed of themselves for not addressing the core issues.”

Speaking on which party had the major share of development projects in the district, CM HDK said, “The BJP boasts of itself that it has done so much to the district in terms of development. But they must know the history as well, wherein Late S Bangarppa had also toiled for developing the district.”

“When the BJP-JDS coalition was in power, we too had provided a lot of funds to this district in terms of development projects. Every political party and every individual has worked for the development of the district”, he added.

Addressing the issues of the farmers, CM Kumaraswamy said, “After I have taken over as the CM of the state, we have become the first state to provide maximum loan waiver to the farmers compared to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is only giving speeches and not showing any interest in the issue.”

He alleged that the Centre was trying to create confusions and distress in the coalition, by not responding to the request on farmers’ loan waiver.

In the meantime, CM Kumaraswamy has expressed positively saying, “Confusions prevailing within the coalition is true, which we will sort out. We have given more importance to Shivamogga this time. If Madhu Bangarappa has lost once in the Vidhana Sabha elections, that doesn’t mean that the saga will continue in the Lok Sabha elections as well.”

He said, “The victory is ours.”

MLA Jayamala, Transport Minister D C Thammanna, prominent leaders of both the parties (Congress and JDS) Kimmanne Ratnakar, M J Appaji Gowda, JDS District President R M Manjunath Gowda, Congress District President T N Srinivas, former MLA Kagodu Thimmappa and other leaders were present.