Siddu targets Modi, Gowda in Kodagu

Declaring that the forthcoming Lok Sabha election was between communal and secular political parties, Chief Minister Siddharamaiah has called upon the voters to back the secular party.

He was addressing an election campaign for Congress candidate for Mysore-Kodagu constituency, H Vishwanath, organised by the District Congress Committee at Jaycee Vedike in the town on Wednesday. Using various popular government schemes and programmes introduced by the Central and State governments as a trump card, the Chief Minister said that schemes like Anna Bhagya and Ksheera Bhagya would help make Karnataka a hunger-free State. 

The Congress government has spent Rs 818 crore for providing subsidy to milk producers and Rs 4,500 crore has been spent on Anna Bhagya scheme. The Congress government has fulfilled 95 of the 165 promises it had made in the Assembly election manifesto, he said.

Criticising the BJP, Siddharamaiah said that the party had sidelined its principles and ideologies by declaring Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate. “Modi is responsible for the 2002 Godhra riot. What do you call a man who is responsible for the genocide of thousands of people? He is a mass murderer. The country will witness a blood bath if he becomes the PM,” the CM said. 

Commenting on the candidature of Prathapa Simha, he said that Simha had been fielded only because of his RSS background. His candidature has also irked local BJP leaders. The Congress candidate will win in the constituency if all the secular forces become united to fight against communal forces. As many as 13 ministers were jailed or were facing corruption and sexual assault charges when the BJP was in power in the State. “The BJP has no moral right to ask votes before the voters,” he said.

Former minister C M Ibrahim, candidate H Vishwanath, AICC General Secretary Shantharam Nayak and others were present.

Dig at Devegowda

Addressing the supporters at a public rally organised to campaign for Congress candidate from Hassan constituency, A Manju at Kadur on Wednesday, the Chief Minister alleged former prime minister H D Deve Gowda of being anti-reservation and anti-backward communities. Gowda had not worked towards the welfare of poor, backward communities and farmers even when he was in power. 

“He sheds tear by claiming that he is the son of soil, when the election approaches. He joined hands with the BJP to criticise the Congress when the government introduced support price of Rs 4 per litre milk to boost dairy farming and Anna Bhagya to fill the stomach of poor. Why didn’t he introduce such schemes when he was in power? He has not implemented even a single memorable project during his tenure as PWD and irrigation minister,” Siddharamaiah criticised.

Further, he said that there was direct fight between the Congress and JD(S) candidate in Hassan. Devegowda has won in this constituency four times in the past. Now the people have an opportunity to vote for a change, he said, while expressing confidence of the Congress candidate winning the election in Hassan.

District-in-Charge Minister Abhayachandra Jain, Hassan candidate A Manju and others were present.