Alluding to former deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah, Minister for Agriculture Bandeppa Kashempur charged that certain leader claims that all the people of Kuruba community are behind him. He was quick to add that people should judge a leader by his work and not words.
He was speaking at a function organised by the Kuruba community leaders of JD (S) City and District Chapters to felicitate him, District Incharge and Co-operation Minister G T Deve Gowda and MLC Chikkamadu, here on Sunday.
Highlighting that the coalition government has implemented several programmes for the Kuruba community, Kashempur expressed the view that people should think as to who has benefitted from them. In this regard, with an indirect reference to Siddaramaiah, he said that a previous finance minister though had allocated Rs three crore for Kaginele authority, failed to ensure that the purpose was served.
But, he along with Minister K S Eshwarappa got a special cabinet approval for the same, the Minister claimed and also added that the Finance Minister has assured to extend Rs seven crore more for the purpose. Rs 50 lakh each has been given to Kanakapeetha and Udupi mutt, besides a whopping Rs one crore for the development of Sangolli Rayanna’s place which no other government had done, he claimed.
Power never lies with one for ever, what is important is what a person does for the development of the society and community when he gets an opportunity to serve people, he remarked. Refuting the allegations that former prime minister H D Deve Gowda is against the Kuruba community, he said that he and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy gave him a cabinet berth though only nine ministers were sworn in initially.
Indirectly referring to Siddaramaiah again, he maintained that because of him he had to contest as an independent candidate from Bidar in the year 2004 though both Deve Gowda and H D Revanna insisted that he be given a JD (S) ticket. Meanwhile, MLC Chikkamadu said that though former minister H Vishwanath and Siddaramaiah are projected as Kuruba community leaders, the community members have recognised Bandeppa Kashempur too as a potential leader by felicitating him in Mysore.
Reiterating that H D Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy bear no malice against the Kuruba community, he said that Siddaramaiah could grow to such a stature because he was in the JD (S), but H Vishwanath though a capable leader could not match him as he is in Congress, he said.  It is not possible if one says that he will gain power with the help of only one community, he quipped and criticised that it is not fair for one to gain individual mileage at the cost of a community. Mallugowda, Kunnegowda, Chandraprabha, Susheela Nanjappa, Kempeeraiah and others were present.