Jagadish Shettar defends Siddaramaiah’s “Corrupt Lingayat Chief Minister” remark, claiming that it was targeted at the current Chief Minister, Basavaraj Bommai, and not all Lingayat CMs. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi demanded an apology from former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over his comment, but Shettar argues that comments are being taken out of context for political gain. Shettar is running for the Hubli-Dharwad-Central seat in the upcoming Assembly polls, and his opponents are attacking his credibility by painting him as anti-Lingayat, which he denies. The 224-seat Assembly polls are scheduled for May 10, and results will be declared on May 13.
