DK Shivakumar on a temple run in BJP-dominated coastal Karnataka, calls the LS polls a “dharma yudh”
DK Shivakumar on Tuesday made a temple run in BJP-dominated coastal Karnataka, visiting the Sringeri Sharada Math in Chikkamagaluru district, the Dharmasthala Manjunatha Temple, and Kukke Subrahmanya Temple in Dakshina Kannada a month before the state entered the first phase of Lok Sabha polls. Shivakumar said he sought divine blessings before the “dharma yudh,” ironically echoing the words of BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa's son BY Raghavendra from three days ago.
“I am now in the presence of Manjunath, in a place where dharma was followed. In a similar way, we have fulfilled all the five guarantees promised to the people. The Congress has acted as per the promise made during the assembly elections…Women are travelling in free buses and there by visiting pilgrimage centres. We are confident that people will remember us while casting their vote,” the deputy CM said.
On Saturday, Raghavendra, who was at the Bhovi Gurpeeth in Chitradurga, had described the upcoming general election as a “dharma yudh” between pro-nationals and anti-nationals. Election officials had held him in violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), for “misusing” the religious place for political purposes.
Sources in the know said the deputy CM's move could be a nod towards soft Hindutva in a bid to further weaken the BJP’s grip in the region. In the assembly polls last May, the Congress had wrested three seats from the saffron party in coastal Karnataka, bringing it down to 13 seats, compared to 17 out 19 in 2018. The region accounts for three
