Krishna takes veiled dig at Siddaramaiah

Two senior Congress leaders, S M Krishna and B K Hari Prasad, indirectly took a swipe at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for not taking the party leaders into confidence and veering off the course of the social justice concept.

Speaking at a function organised by the State Congress Committee to mark the birth anniversary of the late Rajiv Gandhi and Devaraj Urs, Krishna said those holding the reins of power should not assume that he/she knows everything.

One should be largehearted like Devaraj Urs. “I am 83 years old now and I still have a lot to learn,” the former external affairs minister added, in an indirect reference to Siddaramaiah.

Krishna did not even campaign for the party in the BBMP polls, which is seen as crucial for the chief minister.

AICC general secretary B K Hari Prasad said some leaders project themselves as champions of equality and social justice till they come to power. But they change their stand and confine themselves to their castes after coming to power, he said, without mentioning the name of Siddaramaiah.

Leaders should represent all communities. It is not proper to confine themselves to their caste or community. Devaraj Urs is the role model in this regard. He had committed himself to uplifting the downtrodden and oppressed classes, he said.

Siddaramaiah and none of his ministerial colleagues, except Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, attended the function. Senior party leaders C K Jaffer Sharief, M V Rajasekharan, Mallikarjuna Kharge, K Rahman Khan and G Parameshwara participated in the event.