CM flays G T Devegowda, calls him anti-development

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday took on his friend-turned-foe G T Devegowda. 

Addressing a gathering at Doora village in Mysuru taluk, the chief minister called GTD, as G T Devegowda is known in the political circles, as someone who was against development. He appealed to the people to teach a fitting lesson to the incumbent MLA in the next elections.

Siddaramaiah is in Mysuru district to take part in the campaigning for the elections to zilla and taluk panchayats scheduled to be held in the second phase on February 20. GTD is a JD(S) legislator representing Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency.

The constituency was the stronghold of Siddaramaiah till the then MLA, M Satyanarayana (from Congress), lost in his second attempt to GTD during the previous elections. 

In a sarcastic tone, the chief minister said, “GTD has restricted himself to laying foundation stones for projects and clicking for photographs, besides issuing statements. He is not concentrating on development works.”

The chief minister claimed that he, as an elected representative from the same constituency in the past (before shifting to Varuna), had done a lot. The same was later continued by Satyanarayana (elected in 2009 Assembly polls). We succeeded in bringing water to 40 villages in the region under the permanent drinking water project.

Recalling his visit to Doora after a gap of 10 years, the chief minister remembered that in 2006, he had contested the high-voltage by-election to the Assembly from Chamundeshwari constituency, after crossing over to Congress, from the JD(S).

“I had visited the village for campaigning during night hours. The particular poll was the biggest ever political battle in my public life and the voters did not let me down. Had I lost the poll, my career would have ended abruptly,” recalled Siddaramaiah, crediting his present status to the voters.

The chief minister sought support on the basis of various development works initiated by the government in its two years and nine months in office.