PTI, MYSURU: Stepping into the home turf of Chief Minister Sidddaramaiah, BJP President Amit Shah today told him that his “time” has come to an end and he would be mistaken if he thought that saffron ideology could be stalled by unleashing violence against BJP and RSS workers. Shah began his fourth round of visit to the poll-bound Karnataka with a tour of old Mysuru areas, asserting that
Siddaramaiah and JDS would receive “biggest shock of their lives” from the region in the May 12 assembly polls. “It is said that the BJP is a bit weak here (Old Mysuru region), but after seeing the work of the party workers, I expect Siddaramaiahji and the JD(S) to get the biggest shock of their lives from this (Old) Mysuru region,” he told a party convention here.
Shah is presently covering the districts of Mysuru, Chamarajanagara, Mandya and Ramanagara, where BJP had not won even a single seat in the previous election. The principal challenger to the ruling Congress is JDS in these districts.
Referring to his gaffe at Davanagere earlier this week, Shah said though he had committed a mistake in his speech while referring to Siddaramaiah’s corruption, people of the state would not do the same because they knew Siddaramaiah’s rule well. “Siddaramaiah and Rahul Gandhi were very happy over my gaffe while speaking about Siddaramaiah’s corruption. I had made a mistake, but the people of Karnataka will not make it, because they have understood Siddaramaiah’s government very well,” he said.
In a slip of the tongue at a press conference at Davangere while attacking the Siddaramaiah dispensation as the “most corrupt” one, Shah had said the Yeddyurappa government would get the number one award in corruption. He had, however, corrected himself after being prompted by BJP MP Prahlad Joshi, who was seated next to him. Shah also accused Siddaramaiah of playing with arnataka’s pride by not celebrating the “jayanti” of noted Kannada poet Kuvempu or renowned engineer Sir M Vishveswaraiah.
“Siddaramaiah only remembers to celebrate the jayanti of Tipu Sultan (the 18th-century ruler of Mysore) to get votes,” he said. Shah also met the Wadiyar royal family of Mysuru today at
their private palace, triggering peculations about their supporting or joining the BJP. According to sources, during the closed door meeting with the scion of royal family or the present titular Maharaja-
Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and Rajamata Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, Shah reportedly discussed various issues, including politics.
