Siddaramaiah: Cong win in State will revive national politics

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, that a win for Congress in the 2018 Karnataka polls, will be a stepping stone for not only the party but would result in the revival of national politics.

“The victory for the Congress in the Karnataka Assembly polls is not only in the interest of the party. Congress and like-minded parties will bounce back at the Centre in the 2019 polls if we win in 2018,” he said.

He was participating in an interaction with media persons at the Mysuru District Journalists Association (MDJA) here, on Friday.

Contest from Badami

Siddaramaiah said he will take a decision on Saturday morning, on contesting from Badami in Bagalkot district after a discussion with AICC president Rahul Gandhi.

He said, he never wanted to contest from Badami, but MLAs and other leaders from Bagalkot and Vijayapur districts have been pressuring him to contest from the crucial constituency. It is believed that strategically, Siddaramaiah contesting in Badami, would mean strengthening the Congress in the North Karnataka region.

“The party high command also wanted me to contest from Badami (besides Chamundeshwari). The demand stands. I will take a call tomorrow morning,” the CM said.

He expressed his displeasure, when a comparison was drawn between him and B Y Vijayendra, son of former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa. The question was “How do you justify your contest from Badami, where you are an outsider, when you describe Vijayendra, who is contesting from your present constituency of Varuna, as one (outsider)?

Challenge to Shah

Siddaramaiah challenged BJP national president Amit Shah to declare that the latter is not a Jain.

“BJP leaders, who do not have a development agenda for the polls, are making baseless allegations. Taking a cue from my Ahinda success, they have started calling me ‘Ahindu’. Shah, who calls me A hindu is not a Hindu at all. He is a Jain. Let him declare himself not a Jain,” Siddaramaiah dared.

“I am more Hindu than those who claim to be guardians of Hindus. My Hinduism is based on ‘humanity’. If the BJP leaders had humanity, during the clash in Dakshina Kannada, Muslim youths would not be killed. When they visited the house of the Hindu victim, they should have visited the house of the Muslim victim also,” he said.

Who said JD(S) is secular?

Pointing out that leaders of both the BJP and JD(S) have been targeting him, he said, Yeddyurappa had stopped speaking out against former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, and the latter against Yeddyurappa.

“There is a hidden agenda among the opposition parties. While the BJP is under the illusion that it will form the next government in Karnataka, JD(S) wishes a hung Assembly. Who said ‘S’ in the JD(S) stands for ‘secular’? If JD(S) was secular, why did it join hands with communal BJP to form the government in 2006?” the CM asked.