‘Operation Lotus’ 2.0 in Karnataka soon, says BJP’s KS Eshwarappa claiming ‘There will be no Congress left’

Addressing a press conference in Shivamogga on Saturday, Eshwarappa said, “The Congress is making big claims. They are saying that half of the BJP MLAs will join their party. But not a single MLA has switched over to the Congress as yet. There will be no Congress left in the state before or after the next general elections.”

“I can give a 100 percent guarantee that there will be another ‘Operation Lotus’ in Karnataka. The Congress has no future in the country,” the senior BJP leader claimed.

Apart from this, Eshwarappa claimed that 17 Congress MLAs approached the BJP, stating there was no “internal cohesion” in the party.

He added that two months back state minister for Food and Civil Supplies KH Muniyappa was heard saying at a Congress meeting in Bengaluru that all elders or senior members in the state should resign from the party as new members should be given a chance every two years.

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“If that happened, will this government survive? We have reasons to believe that some (Congress) MLAs are unhappy with the government. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has also admitted that there was displeasure and disaffection among some party members and they were trying to fix it,” the BJP leader said.

Among other things, the BJP leader claimed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy Shivakumar were at odds over various issues.

He also hit out at Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son and minister in the Karnataka government — Priyank Kharge. Eshwarappa said, “Priyank Kharge said the government has no money for development for at least one year. They have not released a single penny for development. Is this how they plan to run the state?”

Accusing the ruling party of corruption, the former minister said, “The government is cheating the poor and plunging the state into darkness through frequent power outages. They have released a single penny for development or welfare projects.”

Eshwarappa also took a swipe at the Opposition bloc — INDIA, saying they were not able to pick a leader or a prime ministerial candidate by consensus at the two-day Mumbai conclave.

Responding to RJD’s chief Lalu Prasad’s remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP leader said, “Lalu Prasad Yadav says I must see Modi step down (as PM) before I die. I pray to the Almighty to give him a long life.”

“Just as one can’t belie the existence of Surya and Chandra (Sun and Moon), no one can deny that PM Modi will return to the country’s highest post again. INDIA cannot unite the country as they can’t even pick a PM face by choice,” Eshwarappa added.

With agency inputs.

Updated: 03 Sep 2023, 06:30 PM IST