After BJP’s crass remarks, DK Shivakumar alleges plot to kill CM

SHIVAMOGGA: Crass remarks by senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister KS Eshwarappa that chief minister HD Kumaraswamy will die soon after the Lok Sabha elections got the goat of water resources minister DK Shivakumar, who accused leaders of the BJP of hatching a plot to “eliminate” the CM.
Addressing a rally after JD(S) candidate Madhu Bangarappa filed his nomination papers for the Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat, Shivakumar — Kumaraswamy too was present — said the insensitive remark smacked of a conspiracy to eliminate the CM.“I will not allow it to happen. As long as I’m here, it will not happen,” Shivakumar said. Kumaraswamy, however, made no mention about the comments in his address at a rally after Bangarappa filed his nomination.
Eshwarappa, speaking to party workers in Koppal on Tuesday, said the BJP will secure more seats in this election than it did in 2014. “Lok Sabha chunavane mugiyuttiddante, Kumaraswamynegedubiddu hogi government bilutte (After the Lok Sabha elections, Kumaraswamy will die leading to the fall of the government),” Eshwarappa said.
An angry Shivakumar wanted to know why BJP seniors like BS Yeddyurappa, DV Sadananda Gowda and S Suresh Kumar were silent on the comment of their colleague. “Is this the culture of the RSS and the BJP?” Shivakumar asked.
No cakewalk
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Hassan from where his nephew Prajwal Revanna is contesting, Kumaraswamy said the polls will not be a cakewalk for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“There is tremendous difference between 2014 and 2019.Considering the developments in the country, I can say it will be a tough election for Modi,” the CM said.
Kumaraswamy also hit out at the Prime Minister for reportedly calling the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) a ‘khichri.’ “He may call us khichri, but the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is a formation of 13 parties. If he had done positive work for the development of the country and its people, there would be no need for him to stand at the door of regional parties.PM Narendra Modi is feeling the heat as the BJP is bending backwards to secure the support of regional parties.”
He appealed to voters to reject the BJP and give all 28 seats in the state to the Congress-JD(S) alliance. “It is a good opportunity for voters to throw out the BJP,” he said. “If you help us win 28 seats in Karnataka, there will be a government at the Centre which will help solve problems of the people.”
Kumaraswamy also refuted claims that he had sought votes for his son Nikhil based on caste.