Politicos indulge in slugfest as poll test nears

Deve Gowda, Siddu exchange barbs over farmer suicides

Politicians have started hitting out at each other, verbally, with the BBMP elections fast approaching. JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda’s words of praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not gone down well with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

While interacting with the media on Tuesday, when a reporter pointed out that Gowda had hailed Modi for signing the peace accord with Naga rebels, Siddaramaiah hit back saying, “Who said he (Gowda) is secular? In practice, he is not secular. Only his party name carries the word secular,” he said.

The chief minister, referring to BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa and Deve Gowda with regard to farmer suicides, said they were unnecessarily targeting the government. Yeddyurappa, as chief minister, had presented a separate budget for agriculture. But in reality, it is the Congress government that has allocated more funds for the sector.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Deve Gowda said that never in his 54-year-old political career had he seen so many farmers ending their lives as at present.
He said even during S M Krishna’s tenure as chief minister, the State had witnessed many farmers ending life. But the current trend showed the trust deficit between farmers and the government.

Gowda reiterated that the government must announce a complete loan waiver, which would instil confidence among farmers.

Siddaramaiah also attacked the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. He wondered as to why Modi was mum over the Opposition’s demand for the resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Modi had promised to give a corruption-free governance. But he hasn’t uttered a word about the tainted ministers, he pointed out.

Siddaramaiah took objection to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan suspending 25 Congress MPs for five days for disrupting the House proceedings.