Expelled BJP leader and former Karnataka deputy chief minister K.S. Eshwarappa, on Tuesday, raked up a controversy by giving a call to “cut off” hands of those who slaughter the cows (gau mata) considered holy mother by Hindus.
“Today, the country is in danger as people have forgotten their duty to protect ‘dharma’ and ‘gau mata’. Let us vow to cut off the hands of those who kill our cows. This forum is not meant for political reasons but to protect ‘Hindutva’ and Hindu religion,” said Eshwarappa, during the launch of ‘Krantiveera Brigade’ at Basavana Bagewadi in Vijayapura on Tuesday.
Eshwarappa is striving to stay relevant in state politics after his expulsion from the saffron party last April after he chose to contest as a rebel candidate from Shivamogga Parliament constituency against sitting BJP MP BY Raghavendra. The veteran leader, with RSS background, seems to have chosen Hindutva as a plank to retrace his steps into the party, which has expelled him for six years.
The Kuruba (OBC) leader from Shivamogga and a contemporary of former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who hopes to consolidate the OBC votes to counter both the Lingayat-centric politics of the BJP and the Congress’s Ahinda leader and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (also Kuruba), claimed that the 1,008 seers belonging to the various OBC mutts would work together to unite and protect Hindutva and safeguard the interests of the farmers, who are at the risk of losing their farmlands to the Waqf Board.
“If some people are being petty and playing caste card to their advantage in politics, let us not be tempted to behave like them. We must be the bigger person and fight to unite all the communities,” taunted Eshwarappa, indirectly referring to the caste-based appointments in the saffron party.
Interestingly, some seers batted for reinduction of Eshwarappa into the BJP saying the BJP had lost power because of “sidelining” Eshwarappa who had toiled hard to build the party. “Eshwarappa deserved to be the chief minister but was sidelined. BJP should take him back and take his guidance,” said Someshwara Swami of Makhanapura.
This story was originally published in theweek.in. Read the full story here.