In a jolt to the Bharatiya Janata Party and JD(S) ahead of Lok Sabha polls next year, more than 15 prominent leaders and former corporators from the two parties joined Congress in Bengaluru on Friday in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. Former corporators L. Shrinivas, Anjanappa, H. Suresh, Venkata Swamy Naidu, Narayana, Ramu, Balanna, Kabaddi Babu, and M. Nagraj joined the Congress, as reported by ANI.
The function was held at the Bharat Jodo Auditorium at the party office in Bengaluru, as reported by news agency IANS. DK Shivakumar gave them Congress flags and welcomed them to the party. After pulling in BJP and JD-S leaders from Yeshwantpur and R R Nagar constituencies in Bengaluru, this is the third major operation carried out by the Congress.
After joining the grand old party Srinivas said that he worked for the BJP for 33 years. DK Shivakumar took a swipe at the BJP and said that the leaders from the saffron party were not treated well and now they are knocking our doors. "BJP and JD-S leaders from Padmanabhanagar constituency who worked as a big force behind capturing power in Bengaluru city corporation are now with Congress. The BJP leaders have not treated them well and now they are knocking our doors," Shivakumar said, as quoted by IANS.
Shivakumar had assured the high command of winning more than 20 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. He is talking to more than 20 MLAs from BJP and JD (S) and trying to pull them into the Congress, IANS reported citing sources. Defending the move, Shivakumar had questioned whether the BJP was right in toppling elected governments in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, and Madhya Pradesh.
BJP Resorting To “Compromise Politics” In Karnataka: DK Shivakumar
DK Shivakumar on Friday exuded confidence in the Congress and said that the grand old party will perform well in Karnataka in the Lok Sabha elections. He targeted the BJP over a possible alliance with Janata Dal-Secular, saying the ruling party at the Centre is resorting to “compromise politics”.
"I was very sure about my numbers in the assembly election, now I'm saying, we'll win many more seats in the Lok Sabha and BBMP election," Shivakumar said, as quoted by ANI. Talking about the possible alliance of the BJP and the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS), Shivakumar said the BJP is in poor shape in the state and is joining hands “with those who betrayed them”. “They betrayed each other. They are doing compromise politics,” Shivakumar said.
Earlier, Janata Dal-Secular leader HD Kumaraswamy had said that there have been alliance talks between his party and BJP but there has been no talk on seat-sharing. He had termed as “personal reaction” remarks of BS Yediyurappa about Janata Dal (Secular) fighting about four seats in the Lok Sabha elections next year in alliance with BJP.