Amit Shah to protest in Dharwad against Congress disruption of Parliament

Bengaluru: : BJP’s national president Amit Shah will stage a protest on Thursday against the Congress’ disruption of Parliament in Dharwad, the heart of the Bombay-Karnataka region that accounts for 50 of the election-bound state’s 224 assembly seats.

The region, dominated by the powerful Lingayats that have steadily voted for the BJP in the past three decades, has become a major battleground this time as the Congress, headed by chief minister Siddaramaiah, has made concerted efforts to woo the community.

In 2013, the Congress won 31 seats here as the Lingayat votes were split between the BJP and the splinter Karnataka Janata Party headed by BS Yeddyurappa. While Yeddyurappa is back in the BJP and is being projected as the chief ministerial face, the Congress has recommended a minority religion status to the Lingayats, conceding the longpending demand just ahead of the polls.

Shah will reach out to the community during a two-day tour from Thursday that will include visits to key Lingayat mutts of Moorusaavira and Siddaruda, according to party members.

They said the BJP chief will visit the memorials of Sangolli Rayanna, the icon of Siddaramaiah’s community, the Kurubas; Rani Chennamma, who fought against the British; and poet Kumara Vyasa, a cultural icon of Karnataka, who wrote a different version of the Mahabharata. Shah will also meet traders and farmers, and attend a women’s convention.