It was on the 56th birthday celebrations of slain journalist-turned-activist Gauri lankesh in Bengaluru when Vadagam MlA and Dalit leader from Gujart Jigenesh Mevani has declared that he would campaign for the Congress led by Siddaramaiah in Karnataka for ensuing Assembly polls to keep the chaddidhharis away from the State. The leaders in Gauri day like Jawaharlal Nehru University student leaders (JNU) Kanhaiya Kumar, Shehla Rashid and Umar Khalid, actor Prakash Raj, and Radhika Vemula and host of others have all said they would campaign and support Congress to fight the BJP.
A group of supporters of slain journalist Gauri lankesh on Monday in Bengaluru celebrated her birthday as Gauri Day on Monday.
Mevani who has been attacking the BJP since he won from Gujarat has said he was ready to compromise on his ideals to support Congress to keep BJP away from Karnataka. He said, “I am ready to compromise with my ideologies to save our Constitution and to keep the BJP away from winning the Karnataka elections.” He said he is going to strive hard to form an alliance with other like minded parties in the State to counter the BJP. He declared that he would campaign for the Congress in April for three weeks.
Mevani said more than 20 percent of the Dalits are in Karnataka and not even 20 votes should go to the saffron party. “I will speak to the Dalits (in Karnataka) and tell them their vote shouldn’t go to the BJP. The Government(union) hasn’t paid much attention to jobs or farmer suicides but only focused on issues like love jihad,” he said. ‘’In April, I’ll be in Karnataka for two weeks. “I will urge the 20 percent Dalits in the State that not even their 20 votes should go to them (BJP),’’ Mevani added.
With Mevani and other members of his group’s entry into the Karnataka election battle, the new political dimension has to worry the BJP but might help the ruling congress and Siddaramaiah. According to sources in the Congress, party chief Rahul Gandhi who is going to have a rath yatra in the State has already discussed with the State Congress leaders to rope in Mevani and others to fight BJP as a strategy to counter Amit shah and his moves.
A congress leader said this would be a major boost to his party’s campaign to counter the BJP and Amit Shah’s plan to unite other dalit groups like that of UP model in this elections. He said “ it’s a big boost we can think of. This is going to help us so much to counter the plans of BJP. Our leader has already discussed with us and gave us green signal to go ahead with this strategy to counter BJP.”
Assembly polls to the state are expected in May and Karnataka is the last big bastion for the ruling congress. Siddaramaiah is trying his best to counter anti incumbency to win for a second term to rule the roost.
But he is still considered an outsider in the century old party and is facing a major dissidence in the party against his appeasement politics by the dominant communities. Also after Gujarat, Karnataka has become a major test bed for Congress chief Rahul Gandhi who is spearheading a soft Hindutva politics drifting away from minority appeasement politics.
For BJP and its strongman BS Yeddyurappa it’s a crucial battle and also the high command wants him to make congress mukth Karnataka.
The BJP is of the opinion that Karnataka will be its opening doors to enter south of India for the second time.
