Deve Gowda defends Siddaramaiah

JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, on Saturday, defended former chief minister Siddaramaiah and condemned the BJP for accusing him of involving in a Rs 35,000 crore fraud.

In a press conference here Deve Gowda said that the BJP has brought out a booklet against the previous Congress government based on the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

Defending Siddaramaiah’s governance, Deve Gowda said, Siddaramaiah gave good governance for five years and did not indulge in such irregularities. “He has already given a clarification about the report, Deve Gowda pointed out.

Speaking about the Cabinet expansion Deve Gowda said that there was no confusion among JD(S) MLAs and Siddaramaiah himself has said that the Cabinet would be expanded after December 22, after holding a discussion.

Expressing displeasure over the style of functioning of the Union government, Deve Gowda said, as elections are nearing, the BJP and a few pontiffs were speaking about construction of Ram Mandir. “Why is the BJP playing politics over Ram Mandir? For the BJP, Ram Mandir is a political tool for North India. Sabarimala is an issue for South India,” he said.