‘Humiliation for Shettar’: Banajigas up in arms against BJP

Shyam Sundar Vattam I NT

Bengaluru: The Banajiga community, a sub-sect of the powerful Lingayat/ Veerashaiva religion is up in arms against the ruling BJP for denying a ticket to former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar to contest from Hubballi-Dharwad Central Assembly constituency in the forthcoming Assembly polls to be held on May 10.

Already, the saffron party has invited the wrath of the Panchamasali community for its half-hearted solution to their demand for a hike in reservation for the community in education and employment by taking reservation from Muslims and placing them in a separate category.

Amidst this, the Banajiga community is unhappy over the manner in which their leader, Shettar was treated by state and national BJP leaders without taking into account the sacrifices made by him to build the BJP in North Karnataka region.

Before quitting the party, the former CM told the media how he was subjected to humiliation by his own party leaders in the last three years. Shettar also explained the whispering campaign sponsored by BJP leaders in Hubballi City that he would not be given a ticket in the Assembly polls.

Further, the former CM poured out his woes over being sidelined by not inviting him to any function or printing his name on the invitation card. Though they are not in a majority like the Panchamasalis, the Banajigas are still a force to reckon with in districts like Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Ballari, Raichur, Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Mandya, Kalaburgi and Yadgir.

The community people had been supporting the BJP all these years and this had helped the party to win a majority of seats in the Lingayatdominated districts. The Lingayat seers are equally upset about the BJP’s ‘useand-throw’ attitude toward leaders of the community and could even send a message out not to support the saffron party in the coming election.

Shettar’s father, SS Shettar was a noted figure and was associated with the RSS for a long time. Now the community is angry over the attitude of state and national leaders and has decided to stand by Shettar wherever he goes.