JOIN USChief Minister Siddaramaiah’s remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birth in the land of Mahatma Gandhi, has elicited sharp reactions from the BJP.
In a joint statement, the leaders of the saffron party, C T Ravi, B N Vijayakumar and S Prakash have said that Congress leaders had become desperate and could not digest the popularity of Modi. “It appears Siddaramaiah is obsessed with Modi. He should seek an apology from the people of the country for humiliating Modi,” they said.
The chief minister, while speaking at the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations in KPCC office on October 2, had said that it was unfortunate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been born in the land of Mahatma Gandhi. He had also warned people to be cautious of BJP leaders. State Congress chief G Parameshwara too had attacked Modi on the grounds that it was unbecoming of a prime minister to speak light of Opposition parties in foreign land. Lok Saba member Mallikarjun Kharge also had criticised Modi.
The joint statement said that ideally, the Congress leaders should have recalled the contributions of the Gandhi on the occasion of latter’s birth anniversary. “It is unfortunate that Kharge has stooped to the level of insulting the prime minister. He has acted against the principles enunciated by Gandhi,” they said. Shobha Karandlaje, BJP MP, while addressing a party rally said that Siddaramaiah was not worth a single strand of hair of Modi.
However, not withstanding the critical remarks, Siddaramaiah will be at the HAL Airport in Bengaluru to receive Modi and see him off on October 6. Sources in the government said that according to the protocol, the chief minister would welcome Modi during the latter’s visit to Bengaluru for taking part in Nasscom and Bosch events.