Karnataka chief minister BS Bommai met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday at the India Today conclave where the two Karnataka leaders exchanged pleasantries. However, the photo of Bommai standing with his hands folded in front of Kharge is at the centre of a fresh controversy in poll-bound Karnataka after Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate captioned the photo as: ‘Outgoing PayCM seeking forgiveness for looting Karnataka’.
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This comes at a time when former CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah made a sharp comment on BJP’s Lingayat push in the state and said: “A Lingayat chief minister is the root of all corruption in the state.”
Taken together, the BJP accused the Congress of insulting the Lingayat community. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Bommai showed the best example of political courtesy to Kharge as he folded his hand. “Insulting the Lingayat community is the DNA of the Congress,” Shehzada wrote.
Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar said the chief minister respecting Mallikarjun Kharge has been converted into abuse. “Voters of Karnataka will show these leaders their rightful place,” the minister said.
Siddaramaiah defended his statement and said it is regrettable that the Lingayat leaders of the BJP cannot see the actual enemy and are blaming the Congress for being anti-Lingayat. He clarified that his statement was not for the community but for one particular CM.
“It is not right for a former CM to make a statement like this. He has stated that the entire Lingayat community is corrupt, the Brahmin community had been ridiculed in the past. Earlier, he had tried to break the Lingayat-Veerashaiva community when he was the Chief Minister. The people of the state will teach Siddaramaiah a lesson,” Bommai said reacting to Siddaramaiah’s ‘Lingayat’ comment.
