BJP won’t allow Congress to use Karnataka as its ATM: Arun Singh

Belagavi: BJP national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh on Tuesday said the Congress party, which is losing ground across the country, is hoping to win the 2023 Assembly polls in the state, and use that as its ATM for funding in other states, but it won’t be successful.

Expressing confidence of BJP coming back to power in the state, he said the party has a strong leadership and guide in the form of former CM B S Yediyurappa in Karnataka, while Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was running the government successfully.

“Congress lost in Goa and Manipur. They lost deposits at many places in Uttar Pradesh. It is because Congress’ leadership is a failed leadership. People don’t have faith in its leadership, which is totally divided. Congress workers can’t get inspiration from their leader Rahul Gandhi,” Singh said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said in Karnataka too Congress is a divided house, and doesn’t have any issues to raise against the BJP government in the state.

“Congress leaders don’t work on the ground. They make non-issue an issue, so they are getting defeated everywhere. Congress governments are only in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and there too they are on their way out. They think that they can somehow win in Karnataka and use it as their ATM for funding in other states, which will not be successful,” he added.

Singh was in Belagavi to take part in party leaders’ tour across the state, aimed at preparing the ground for assembly elections in Karnataka next year.

The BJP has formed three teams, led by senior leaders, to travel across Karnataka from Tuesday, aimed at preparing the ground for the state Assembly elections next year.

During his visit to the state earlier this month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had set a target of 150 seats (in 224-member Assembly) to Karnataka BJP leaders for the 2023 Assembly elections.

Responding to a question on flare-up of communal issues in the state under Bommai’s leadership, which was not seen during Yediyurappa’s tenure as CM, Singh said, “We are all working here under the guidance of Yediyurappa, he is the tallest leader of our party in Karnataka. Bommai is the Chief Minister, he is running the government and there is Yediyurappa’s guidance, on the basis of which we are functioning.” Accusing the Congress of creating division between castes and religions as elections approached, he said it is the framework of the Congress party’s functioning.

“The hijab issue is supported by the Congress, who else is behind it? Congress supported SDPI and PFI from behind. When Siddaramaiah (Congress leader and former CM) was in the government, he supported PFI. Now, when in opposition also, he is supporting them…they do it everywhere and that is why they are facing repeated defeats,” he alleged.

Singh also claimed the BJP has a galaxy of leaders in the state like- Yediyurappa and CM Bommai, while Congress was a leaderless party.

“There is no popular leader (in Congress) at the centre, whom people can trust. Also in Karnataka, they don’t have such a leader whom people can trust,” he added.