Birthday event isn't show of strength: Siddaramaiah

Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Saturday downplayed the curiosity surrounding his 75th birthday bash in August and said it will not be a show of strength.

“There’s no ‘Siddaramotsava’ or show of strength. Against whom should I show strength? On August 3, I’m completing 75 (years). This is a milestone. So my friends and well-wishers want to celebrate it,” Siddaramaiah told reporters, adding that he has never celebrated his birthday.

A public meeting has been planned for August 3 in Davangere, which is seen as an attempt to project Siddaramaiah as the Congress’s chief ministerial face ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.

The BJP has claimed that Siddaramaiah’s birthday celebration will end up defeating the Congress.

“Did the BJP say the same thing when (BJP leader) B S Yediyurappa celebrated his 77th birthday?” Siddaramaiah asked.

“Yesterday, advertisements were issued for R Ashoka’s birthday and there was a celebration. What does the BJP say on that?” he questioned. He said the Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala will attend the birthday programme along with other top party leaders from the state.

Booklet on Modi’s disasters

Siddaramaiah released a 40-page booklet on the “disasters” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

“The BJP is celebrating eight years of the Modi government. It is a celebration of lies and the deceit done to the people,” Siddaramaiah told a news conference where he released the booklet.

“While celebrating eight years, they say the country has developed and become prosperous with a harmonious atmosphere. That’s what they claimed in their advertisements. But, the promises that were made in 2014 have not been met. The poor have become more miserable,” the Congress leader charged.