Hubballi: MLC Pradeep Shettar, who previously voiced concerns about the neglect of Lingayats within the BJP, has reiterated his stance. He mentioned that during the previous Assembly election, Lingayats supported the Congress due to the BJP’s alleged disregard for Lingayat leaders.
Speaking to reporters at the party office on Monday, Shettar cited examples such as the denial of party tickets to leaders like Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi. Additionally, he pointed out that the party stalwart, BS Yediyurappa, retired from electoral politics. Shettar believes these incidents had a negative impact on the BJP’s performance in the recent Assembly election.
Shettar emphasized the importance of not neglecting the influential Lingayat community within the party. He urged the BJP to appoint Lingayat leaders to key positions such as Leader of the Opposition, state president, and election in charge.
Furthermore, Shettar expressed his desire for Narendra Modi to secure a third term as Prime Minister of India and for the BJP to secure 25 Lok Sabha seats. To achieve this, he stressed the need for the party to engage with and acknowledge the community leaders.
Regarding a statement made by BJP’s Dharwad rural district president Basavaraj Kundagolmath against him, Shettar suggested that someone had compelled Kundagolmath to release the letter to the media. He acknowledged Kundagolmath’s three decades of service to the party and revealed that Kundagolmath had aspired to contest the Assembly election from the Kalaghatgi constituency but was denied a ticket, leading to his dissatisfaction.
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