“Whoever we might give it to — maybe Lingayats, Kurubas, Vokkaligas, or Brahmins but definitely, it will not be given to Muslims,” he said.
In a controversial statement on Sunday, Karnataka Minister and BJP leader KS Eshwarappa said that the party ticket might be given to Hindu candidates from any community but not to a Muslim.
“We might give the party ticket to any community among Hindus. Whoever we might give it to — maybe Lingayats, Kurubas, Vokkaligas, or Brahmins but definitely, it will not be given to Muslims,” the Karnataka minister told reporters on Sunday.
I don’t know whether we will give it to followers of Sangolli Rayanna, Kittur Chennamma (freedom fighters) or Shankaracharya, he was reported as saying.
Mr Eshwarappa is a Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister.
Byelections are to be held for the Belgavi Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka. The minister stressed that that Belagavi is the centre of Hindutva and the ticket will be given to any of its supporters only.
Though this is not the first time that the minister has sparked a controversy.
Mr Eshwarappa, in April last year, had said BJP will not give tickets to Muslims to contest the elections as they do not believe in the party.
However, after an uproar, he had clarified that he was not a hater of any community including Muslims and his statement was in response to a question about a specific leader from the community getting a ticket from the BJP.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
