Rayanna and Channamma Brigade will be formed soon, says Eshwarappa

It will help stop injustice being meted out to some communities, he asserts

“Backward Classes, Dalits, Lingayats and Brahmins have suffered for long. We will set up the Rayanna and Channamma Brigade to stop any discrimination against these communities,” the former Deputy Chief Minister K.S. Eshwarappa said in Vijayapura on Sunday.

“Earlier, I had formed the Rayanna Brigade. But I stopped developing it further on the advice of senior BJP leaders like Amit Shah. Now, I feel I made a mistake. I am getting a lot of inquiries about restarting a similar organisation. Even Sri Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami and MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal have asked me to reconstitute it. I will discuss it with some of my followers and form Rayanna and Channamma Brigade very soon,” he told reporters.

“Backward Classes, Dalits, Lingayats and Brahmins have suffered for long and we will set up the Rayanna and Channamma Brigade to stop any discrimination against these communities”K.S. Eshwarappa,Former Deputy Chief Minister

“The BJP is like my mother organisation. I will not join any party other than the BJP. But I was disgusted with the corruption and nepotism in the State unit and quit. I quit because I could not tolerate injustice against my mother. I believe senior leaders will take some corrective steps,” he said.

He, however, clarified that he was against concentration of power in the B.S. Yediyurappa family and that he did not accept B.Y. Vijayendra as the BJP State unit president.

“Even leaders like Ramesh Jarkiholi do not accept him,” he added.

He said that he still stood for Hindutva-based politics and demanded serious action against the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Jaganmohan Reddy on the charge of desecrating the Tirupati temple prasadam.

“He should be sent to jail as he has betrayed all Hindus in the world,” he said.

To a query, he said that some Christian missionaries were behind the conspiracy to adulterate the laddus and insult Hindu devotees.

“In some towns in Karnataka, some youth displayed flags of Palestine. It is nothing but treason. Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan has defended this. He should be arrested for making such a statement. Patriotic Muslims should give the right advice to their youth,” he said.

On Saturday, he addressed a meeting of supporters in Bagalkot. He asked them to support him in starting the Rayanna and Channamma Brigade.

He told reporters in Bagalkot that he is not happy with the political culture in the State. “Some leaders have reduced it to personal attacks and counter attacks. It is not a good development. I appeal to all leaders to stop such low-level politics,” he said.

Mr. Eshwarappa said that he is upset with the trend being followed by media. “Reading newspapers and watching TV are getting very boring. TV channels have stories only about Prajwal Revanna or actor Darshan. And, they are so bad that you cannot watch them with your family,” he said.

“Journalists are not doing stories about development. There are no stories about how much money has been spent on development project or how much of it has been siphoned off by corrupt leaders or officers. Or, how money meant for Dalits has been diverted for other projects and how the State government has cancelled over 1,000 development schemes and projects. If this is the case, where should the people of the State go to find their voice?” he said.

He said that all development works in the State have been stalled. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should resume development works and release funds due to OBCs and Dalits, he added.

Published - September 22, 2024 08:35 pm IST