Did not quit JD(S), was expelled: Siddaramaiah

Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah on Saturday clarified he did not quit the JD(S), it was H D Deve Gowda who expelled him from the party for organising the Ahinda convention.

Speaking to reporters here, Siddaramaiah said, “BJP leader R Ashoka is not aware of this issue. So, he keeps asking at public forums why Siddaramaiah quit JD(S) and joined the Congress.”

Reacting to BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa’s statement that the state will see change of guard after May 23, Siddaramaiah said, “Yeddyurappa has been claiming that coalition government will fall for the past one year. Where will he (Yeddyurappa) get the money from?
Who will give him such astronomical sums to buy the MLAs from rival camps? Who’s giving him money? Is it Narendra Modi or Amit Shah? Yeddyurappa should clarify about the source of money,” he said.

The Opposition should not indulge in buying the legislators to bring down the government. The Governor had given Yeddyurappa an opportunity to form the government. But he could not muster the required numbers. He should stop making irrelevant statements, Siddaramaiah said.

Replying to a query, the former chief minister said, “The BJP-led NDA will not retain power at the Centre. Rahul Gandhi will become prime minister post-results.”

When asked about KR Pet MLA Narayanagowda’s comment that the party candidate (in Mandya) has suffered setback due to the coalition, the chairman of coalition coordination committee, said, “We have not forged alliance with H D Deve Gowda, not Narayanagowda. Hence, I would not react to Narayanagowda’s comments.”