BJP’s nationwide fast will result in its ‘sanyas’ in Karnataka: Surjewala

The decision to recommend religious minority status for the Lingayats was backed by Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala. He said that it was bona fide and a historically proven aspirational demand that had been addressed.

Surjewala, however, ducked a question in which he was asked if Siddaramaiah is the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress in Karnataka. He said that Siddaramaiah is the captain of the team and an opening batsman. It is under his leadership that the Congress will fight the May 12 Karnataka assembly election, he also said.

Commenting on the nationwide fast led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said that it would result in the BJP's sansyas in the Karnataka election. "The time for upvas (fasting) is over. The time for sanyaas from seat of power begins with a defeat in Karnataka and culminate in vanvaas in 2019," Surjewala told reporters.

"It's an absurd drama of photo-ops because Modi had breakfast on-board his flight and Shah had lunch after upvas. For a party that disrupted 66.88% of the total functioning time of the previous Lok Sabha (2009-14) and wasted 250 functioning hours of the Budget session by engineering disruptions, Modi and the BJP should tender an unconditional apology for dishonouring democracy," Surjewala said.