Hubballi: With the polling date drawing closer for the Jamakhandi bypoll, all parties in the fray are doing their best to impress the Dalit voters of the constituency. Clearly paying to the gallery, state BJP president, B.S. Yeddyurappa, who was campaigning in the district on Monday, accused Janata Dal (S) supremo, H.D. Deve Gowda of insulting the Valmiki community by not receiving the award conferred on him during the annual Valmiki Jayanti celebrations at Vidhana Soudha recently.
Also, hitting out at Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy for staying away from the event, he contended that the state coalition government would not last after the byelections.
Ridiculing KPCC working president, Eshwar Khandre's claim that the strength of the BJP in the state Assembly could fall to 80 if the Congress made a go for it, he said the party had little hope if it was led by such "irresponsible" leaders. "Congress leaders are claiming that I will do anything that Mr Deve Gowda asks of me if he promises to make me Chief Minister. But this is not true. I will have nothing do with the father-son duo in this birth," Mr Yeddyurappa declared unequivocally.
Former Chief Minister, Jagadish Shettar, meanwhile, in his address at a poll rally, claimed that victory in the Jamkhandi byelection would take the BJP's strength to 113 in the Legislative Assembly and Mr Yeddyurappa would become Chief Minister.
Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, K.S. Eshwarappa, for his part, maintained that the JD(S)-Congress coalition government was a sinking ship and former Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah was waiting to stab JD(S) supremo Mr Deve Gowda in the back and Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy was hoping to do the same to him.
