Indrajit Lankesh, the brother of journalist Gauri Lankesh who was shot dead in September in Bengaluru, is campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Malleshwaram, Dr Ashwath Narayan, reported Firstpost on Thursday. Gauri Lankesh, who published the Kannada newspaper Gauri Lankesh Patrike, was a critic of Hindutva groups.
Indrajit Lankesh, however, said he does not identify with any particular political ideology, but is campaigning for a person he believes in. “Dr Ashwath Narayan is a good friend [and] I know him personally,” he said. “It was nice campaigning for him. I think he will win with a huge margin.”
He also said that the Janata Dal (Secular) and the BJP had asked him to campaign on their behalf but that he had stuck to his ideology. “It’s not that I recognise with [Ashwath Narayan’s] ideology. I recognise with Ashwath Narayan.” Narayan identifies perfectly with the campaign slogan “Badalaisee, BJP ige mathachalaisee” (Bring change, vote for BJP), according to Indrajit.
General Secretary of BJP-Karnataka Shobha Karandlaje, meanwhile, tweeted a photo of Indrajit saying, “Gauri Lankesh’s brother Indrajit campaigns for BJP.” BJP candidate Ashwath Narayan also tweeted that he held a cycle rally with Indrajit Lankesh.
Gauri and Indrajit Lankesh’s sister Kavita told Firstpost that she and her brother have taken “different paths” but that she has “nothing against Indra”. “If I agreed with him, I would have stood by him.” She added that the Lankesh Patrike used to support the Congress about eight months ago. “Now the support is for the BJP,” she said. “I don’t have anything to say against that. I always stood by my father and sister, and continue to do so.”
Indrajit Lankesh is the editor and publisher of Lankesh Patrike.
Actor Prakash Raj, a friend of the Lankesh family, said one must be “tolerant” about the choices made by people. “Everybody has the right to do what they want,” he told Firstpost. “It’s not like people don’t know what they [BJP] want. So, if he [Indrajit Lankesh] wants to campaign [for them], let him.” The actor is critical of the BJP, saying that he is against parties that seek to rule through communalism.
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