Karnataka: Vokkaligas On The Warpath

The Vokkaligas are up in arms against the ruling BJP. The D.K. Shivakumar arrest was the last straw

- Aravind Gowda

Nothing seems to be going right for new chief minister B.S. Yediyur­appa. After the floods and the infighting in the BJP over appointments in the council of ministers, he now faces another major challenge—placating the Vokkaligas, the second largest commu­nity in the state. They have declared war against the BJP, alleging the party was targeting their leaders.

The Vokkaligas, who constitute 13 per cent of the state’s population, have traditionally backed the Janata Dal (Secu­lar) and the Congress. But in the past decade, the BJP has been able to make inroads into the community. However, the massive rally in Bengaluru on September 11 to protest the arrest of ex­minister and senior Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar (a Vokkaliga) has rattled the BJP.