Says Siddharamaiah is trying to “divide and  finish off Dalit leaders”

Former Revenue Minister and veteran Dalit leader V. Sreenivasa Prasad, the BJP candidate for the April 9 by-election to Nanjangud Assembly Constituency, has lambasted Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, District in-charge Minister Dr. H. C. Mahadevappa and Chamarajanagar MP R. Dhruvanarayan for their comments against him during a rally in Nanjangud on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Prasad lashed out at  Siddharamaiah saying, “he (CM) was trying to divide and finish off Dalit leaders.”

“If Siddharamaiah and Congress leader C. M. Ibrahim address people in Nanjangud 10 more times, then I will definitely win the by-poll without any difficulty,” the veteran leader added.

Replying to MP Dhruvanarayan’s comment that he has taken financial support from Siddharamaiah, the former Minister retorted, “Siddharamaiah has given funds to every leader during elections and it is a common practice during polls.”

Hitting out at Dr. Mahadevappa for commenting on his health, Sreenivasa Prasad said, “Mahadevappa is a servant in Siddharamaiah’s house. He fainted during his son’s marriage. How can he comment on my health?”

“Dr. Mahadevappa, who is claiming that his son Sunil Bose would contest in the by-election, is mentally unfit,” Prasad added.

It’s official

Meanwhile, the State BJP Core Committee, which met at the residence of Union Minister Ananth Kumar at New Delhi  yesterday, has officially announced the names of BJP candidates for the by-polls.

Speaking to press persons after the meeting, National BJP Executive Committee Member Aravind Limbavali officially announced the names of V. Sreenivasa Prasad and C.S. Niranjan Kumar as BJP candidates for Nanjangud and Gundlupet respectively.