Taking the fight to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday tore into the BJP’s campaign, providing a point-by-point rebuttal to the PM’s charges.
“Modi might have come 7-8 times to the state. We expected that Modi will speak like a PM- that he will highlight central government for four years and state BJP government before that. But the language used by BJP is not used by civilized people. Narendra Modi has used bad language. People have been ashamed of it,” hit out Siddarmaiah.
Rebutting the charges of the PM, who accused the Congress-led government of corruption, Siddaramaiah said, “I have not spoken about people personally or used inappropriate language. When people have accused me, I have also reacted. Because if we ignore then people will believe to be a truth. If Modi comes and say Siddaramaiah sarkar is 10% sarkar I have to react. Modi has so many agencies to collect evidence. What is the evidence he has to show our government is 10% government?”
Addressing media persons at the press club in Bengaluru on Sunday, Siddaramaiah called out the hypocrisy of the BJP for allowing mining baron and accused in the mining scam Janardhana Reddy of campaigning for the saffron party. He said, “Yeddyurappa is sitting next to him. Janardhana Reddy is part of his party. Does he not remember them? How can he say this?”
On 2+1 formula and Mahadayi
He also pointed out that while Modi was accusing him of adopting the “2+1” formula – a reference to Siddaramaiah contesting in Chamundeshwari and Badami, while his son Yathindra is contesting in Varuna, the PM had himself contested in two seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections – in Varanasi and in Vadodara. “He has contested in two places. That is apparently strategy. And when I do it, it is not. I am standing in two places and my son is also standing. But what moral right do you have to criticise this?” lashed out the CM.
Siddaramaiah also countered the allegations that Modi had heaped on the previous UPA government. Speaking at Gadag on Saturday, the PM had said that the Congress had politicised the Mahadayi water dispute with Goa, noting, ''During a 2007 poll campaign, Sonia Gandhi had assured Goa that Mahadayi river water will not be shared. Now Congress has vanished in Goa and so they are provoking people in Karnataka. This only shows the Congress has adopted the policy of Atkana (mislead people on issues), Latkana (block their resolution), and Bhatkana (let them hang fire).”
However, the CM countered the PM’s charges, stating, “Let me remind him, Sonia Gandhi was never PM. He is the PM for four years. He is throwing his responsibility to others. He never talked about Mahadayi until now.” Pointing out that former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had all mediated inter-state water disputes, Siddaramaiah said, “Being a PM in the federal structure it is his responsibility! Sonia was president of the party that's all. And he's blaming her. This is a deliberately misleading and false statement. People of Karnataka will never accept this misleading statement.”
Reposing faith in his administration, Siddaramaiah said, “People who think Modi magic will happen, it won't happen in Karnataka. In Karnataka this time why I believe we will win is that the promises we gave we fulfilled.”
Charging the PM of not doing anything for the people of Karnataka, he said, “What is his contribution to Karnataka? He didn't waive loans, he didn’t talk about Mahadayi.”
Accusing him of attempting to mislead the people, Siddaramaiah called the PM a “lying Chanakya” and said he would be exposed.
‘Not a semi-final to 2019’
Expressing confidence in the Congress retaining power in the state, Siddaramaiah said there was no chance of a hung assembly despite opinion poll predictions. He also said that despite the hype over the Chamundeshwari contest, he would go on to win the seat comfortable, noting that he won from the constituency five times earlier.
Siddaramaiah, however, downplayed reports that the Karnataka polls is a semi-final to the Lok Sabha Election next year, stating, “There is no pressure on me. This is not a semi-final before 2019. Whether it is semi-final or not, the victory of Congress will be stepping stone for Lok Sabha.
Siddaramaiah also went on to rebut BJP chief Amit Shah’s claim that he is ‘Ahindu’, stating, “I am very much Hindu. But I believe in secularism pluralism and respect human values. These people don't. They are communal and always trying to polarize votes.” This while pointing out that Amit Shah’s election affidavit stated that the BJP leader is a Jain.
Lashing out at the BJP’s 2014 poll slogan ‘sabka saath sabka vikaas’, Siddaramaiah said, “He (Modi) should add sabka saath, leaving behind Muslims Christians.” He observed that out of the 224 Assembly seats in Karnataka, the BJP had not given a single ticket to Muslims or Christians in the upcoming polls.
Siddaramaiah said there was no merit to JD(S) chief and former CM HD Kumaraswamy’s claim of being king and not kingmaker this Assembly Election. “This is a competition between three parties. But it is not a competition between three parties in all parts of the state.” Pointing out that the performance of the BJP, JD(S) in the 2013 Assembly polls was bad, Siddaramaiah noted that the BJP did not win a single seat in Mysuru, Chamrajanagar, Mandya, Ramanagara among others.
“I don't think it will be a big difference in these districts this time also,” observed the CM, adding, “They claim that it is their stronghold. The claims of BJP JD(S) don't have too much Aadhaar.”
Amidst speculation of a post-poll tie up with the JD(S), Siddaramaiah stated that his former party is the Congress’ political opponent and said that there is no soft corner towards them.