Explaining the context in which he stated that he would again become the chief minister, Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah on Saturday said, “I had said that the Congress will come to power again after five years and I will become chief minister once again.”

When reporters asked him about his Friday’s statement in Holenarasipur in Hassan, he, said, “I have told the people that our government will come back to power and fulfill their demands. The Congress will win a majority of the seats in the Assembly elections scheduled to be held after the completion of JD(S)-Congress coalition government’s term”.

“The people put forward a few demands and I assured them of fulfilling them, once the Congress government comes to power.”

Replying to queries on floods in Kodagu, he said it was a massive disaster. “After Independence, the region never witnessed such worst calamity.  Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited the region, but, she did not announce any funds. What was the MP (Pratap Simha) doing during her visit. He should have demanded the minister to announce a package,” Siddaramaiah said, and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce a package immediately.

Siddaramaiah said he and his MLA son Dr Yatheendra, Revenue Minister R V Deshpande, Industries Minister K J George and MLC Govindraj will visit London, to meet his friend on September. One of my friends is in London and he has been pressuring me to visit his place, the former chief minister said.