Davangere: State home minister Basavaraj Bommai has issued a clarification in response to Congress leader Basavaraj Rayareddy’s statement earlier in the day, that Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s Cabinet ministers V Somanna and J C Madhu Swamy should be punished for using religion while campaigning in the 15 Assembly constituencies.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, December 4, he said, “It is has been brought to my notice that Madhu Swamy has said that if Lingayats and Veerashaivas don’t vote for the BJP, then it would be like a tight slap to BSY while campaigning for our Vijaypur candidate Anand Singh. In this regard, the Deputy Commissioner of Ballari has filed a suo moto case. I will call Madhu Swamy and have a meeting with him to find out what actually happened.”
Meanwhile, taking a jibe at Siddaramaiah, Bommai said, “I think veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge felt that it was better to ask Siddaramaiah to step down from the post of the Leader of the Opposition.”