Siddaramaiah hints at chief ministerial aspiration

Congress-JD(S) coalition coordination committee chairperson Siddaramaiah hinted at his chief ministerial ambition during an election rally here on Friday.

“I will introduce a scheme for providing 10 kg rice free to all BPL card-holders, if I become the chief minister again,” Siddaramaiah said. He was addressing a public meeting to seek votes for Congress-JD(S) coalition candidate for Koppal Lok Sabha constituency.

“During my tenure as chief minister, I waived farmers’ loans. Though I took a delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking waiver of farmers’ loan citing severe drought in the state, the prime minister did not care,” Siddaramaiah said.

Describing Modi as a liar, Siddaramaiah said that the poor did not see “Achche Din” during his rule. He claimed that the prime minister worked only in the interest of the rich and the affluent people.

Siddaramaiah said that Modi had referred to “emotive” issues during his speech in Bagalkot on Thursday.

During the tenure of Congress government, the country faced four wars. The government also conducted 12 surgical strikes. “But, ignorant of the national history, Modi is claiming credit only for Balakot strike,” Siddaramaiah said.

Siddaramaiah, who once spearheaded Ahinda (acronymy for Alpasankhyatra, Hindulidavara, Dalitaru - minorities, backward classes and Dalits) movement, called upon people not to exercise their franchise going by the caste of the candidate.