Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, while answering questions from the media, confirmed that the meeting decided to firmly counter ‘misinformation’ being spread by the Congress on ‘certain issues’. He said that some suggestions have also come (regarding a Lingayat chief minister). Dharmendra Pradhan (the Union minister who is BJP’s Karnataka election in-charge) was also there. He (Pradhan) said that he would convey our feelings to the high command (on the need for a Lingayat-chief minister). When a journalist again asked that the Congress was calling the BJP ‘anti-Lingayat’, the Chief Minister retorted by asking, ‘You want to keep this issue alive?'”

)with language input