This is Karnataka, not Gujarat to defeat me, storms Shettar

NT Correspondent

Koppal: This is not Gujarat to defeat me, the BJP people of Karnataka should understand this, Shettar said in response to Amit Shah's claim that Shettar and Savadi would lose by a margin of 50,000 votes. Speaking to media persons he said, “I am in the heart of the people of Hubballi. Ppeople of my constituency know who I am. I am confident that will definitely make me win with a big margin of votes.”

“The BJP has insulted the majority Lingayat community. After side-lining Lingayat leader Yediyurappa, they asked me to sign a resignation letter written by me. There is a conspiracy behind this to crush Lingayats,” he said. Jagadish Shettar also said that there would have been no question of leaving the party if he had been approached 15 days earlier and assured that he would be given a higher responsibility in the party.

“The BJP has no morality; they have given ticket to a rowdy-sheeter with 40 criminal cases in Chittapur. When asked why Jagadish Shettar was not given a ticket in Hubballi, the BJP has no answer. Even though I was a clean hand, I was not given a chance. Now, the party has no morality to even talk about me,” he said. Speaking about the manifesto released by the party on Monday, he said there is no need to give too much importance to the BJP manifesto.