Chitradurga: Miffed with the BJP for denying him the party ticket, Molkalmuru MLA S. Thippeswamy on Monday filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate. Heavily banking on his 'Myasa Nayaka' (tribe's pride), Thippeswamy, in his tribal attire- white 'Rumalu' on head, black woollen shawl on shoulder and a stick in his hand, arrived to file his nomination papers with thousands of his supporters in a massive procession.
'Myasa Nayaka' or 'Myasa Beda' is an indigenous tribe dominant in Chitradurga and Ballari districts. Thippeswamy who hails from Myasa Beda tribe, has vowed to defeat the BJP candidate and Ballari Lok Sabha member B. Sriramulu by a margin of over 25,000 votes. Sriramulu hails from 'Ooru Nayaka' sect of the Scheduled Tribes.
"Sriramulu and Gali Janardhan Reddy have come Molakalmuru like the British came to India. But they should not forget that we are the real descendants of the legendary king, Madakari Nayaka of Chitradurga. We will defeat them and send them back to Ballari", he said while addressing his supporters.
Thippeswamy said that by making "false promises" and then deciding to contest from Molakalmuru, Sriramulu had 'cheated' the entire Nayaka community. He said the former minister was trying to mislead people of the constituency by saying that the ticket was decided by senior leaders of the party. "But the voters in Molkalmuru are not fools. They will teach him a befitting lesson and send him back to Ballari."
