Alliance Partners BJP-JDS Go Separate Ways for the Cause of Dharmasthala
Parties back shrine against false burial claims, but split shows alliance strain
Bengaluru: Alliance partners Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal Secular (JDS) go separate ways for the cause of Dharmasthala, a popular Hindu pilgrim centre in Dakshina Kannada district, against reported malicious campaign to mar the image of the Hindu pilgrim centre by levelling baseless allegations, conspiracy and spreading false information by certain individuals.
It may be recalled here, some activists/individuals alleged hundreds of missing/mass burials of hundreds of women and girls under Dharmasthala police station limits. The State Government constituted an investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the allegations of mass burials and missing women/girls cases. SIT investigation is underway.
Standing in support of Dharmasthala to counter the reported conspiracy to defame the popular Hindu pilgrim centre, JDS is taking out “Dharmasthala Satya Yatra on Sunday from Hassan town. The Yatra of the JDS will begin from Hassan at around 7:30 am and reach Dharmasthala the same day. While with the same mission, Bharatiya Janata Party is taking out a rally ‘Dharmasthala Chalo” on Monday.
Its State president B.Y. Vijayendra told reporters demanded an investigation against individuals involved in bringing disrepute to Dharmasthala by levelling false allegations and questioned the attitude of the State Government, “Why no First Information Report (FIR) been registered against individuals who made false allegations against Dharmasthala?”
Vijayendra demanded a comprehensive probe to find out who funded individuals against spread false information against Dharmasthala.
It may be recalled here JDS became a member of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre and fought the 2024 Lok Sabha on seat seat-sharing basis in Karnataka. BJP won in 17 seats and JDS in 2 seats, including the Mandya parliamentary seat won by former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, currently Minister of Large Scale Industries in Narendra Modi's cabinet.
The two parties fought 3 Assembly bye elections in 2024 and lost all the 3 seats to ruling Congress nominees in Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur.
Speculations are rife that JDS and BJP are parting ways in Karnataka and holding separate rallies by JDS and BJP separately for the cause of Dharmasthala gives credentials that all is not well between the alliance partners, said a source.