CM Siddaramaiah calls HDK anti-poor for speaking against Congress' guarantees
Bengaluru, Nov 13: Accusing JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy of hating the poor, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said the voters will teach his party as well its ally BJP a lesson in the Lok Sabha elections.
In a message on micro-blogging site 'X', formerly Twitter, Siddaramaiah hit out at former CM Kumaraswamy.
"Why do you hate poor people? It has become a habit for you to talk bad about our guarantee schemes which are dedicated to uplift the poor families. Your baseless opposition means opposing the upliftment of poor families. It is time to introspect your intent," the Chief Minister said.
Siddaramaiah said crores of people are benefitting from the guarantee schemes and those celebrating these schemes include the voters of BJP and JD(S).
He even asked Kumaraswamy to go to the villages and talk to the beneficiaries there.
The guarantee schemes are mainly designed to benefit the poor people of the state. It is neither a tax waiver to help the rich, nor is it a loan waiver scheme, Siddaramaiah pointed out.
The Chief Minister took a dig at Kumaraswamy for not speaking against the Centre. Instead, he has made the task of opposing guarantee schemes as his motto, he charged.
"You're attacking me on a daily basis with false accusations. If criticising me gives you peace of mind, please continue. I can understand your disappointment and frustration after the election defeat," Siddaramaiah quipped.
According to the Chief Minister, the entire country is laughing at the hypocrisy of the BJP.
"Until recently, the BJP, which used to make fun of all such schemes, including guarantee schemes, as "freebies', has included all such "freebies' in the election manifesto of five states. But now, Kumaraswamy doesn't have the guts to question this hypocrisy of the BJP," Siddaramaiah said.
Guarantee schemes were part of the Congress party's election manifesto and people gave his party the mandate based on the promises, he added.
Siddaramaiah warned Kumaraswamy for speaking against the guarantees.
"If you continue to oppose the guarantee schemes, the wise voters of the state will teach both BJP and JDS parties a lesson in the next Lok Sabha elections as well," he said.
Kumaraswamy has been critical of the Congress government saying that its guarantees are not being implemented in toto and are flawed.
Shri @hd_kumaraswamy avare,
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) November 13, 2023
Why do you hate poor people? It has become a habit for you to talk bad about our guarantee schemes which are dedicated to uplift the poor families. Your baseless opposition means opposing the upliftment of poor families. It is time to introspect your…
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Cong leader Prithviraj Chavan defiant after facing verbal missiles on Op Sindoor remarks
Mumbai (PTI): Despite facing criticism, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday stood by his controversial comments that India faced a "total defeat" in aerial fight with Pakistan on the first day of Operation Sindoor on May 7.
The former Union minister refused to apologise for his comments on the Indian military operation against terror hubs in Pakistan and PoK in aftermath of massacre of tourists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in April.
Talking to reporters in Pune on Tuesday, Chavan claimed India faced a "total defeat in the aerial fight (with Pakistan) on May 7 which lasted for half-an-hour".
"One may believe this or not. After that the Indian Air Force got grounded and not a single aircraft took flight that day.... be it Gwalior, Bhatinda or Sirsa, there was a possibility of aircraft being shot down, so our complete Air Force was grounded," the former Maharashtra chief minister had said.
Hitting out at Chavan, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde accused the Congress of speaking the language of Pakistan. He said questioning the military action was akin to demoralising the morale of armed forces.
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"The criticism does not stem from the love of the nation, but love for Pakistan," said the chief leader of the Shiv Sena, a key constituent of the BJP-led NDA.
Chavan, however, remained defiant.
"There is no question of apologising. The Constitution has given me the right to ask questions," the Congress veteran asserted.
Chavan also questioned the need of having a 12-lakh strong Army when future wars will be about aerial combats and missiles. "During Operation Sindoor we saw that there was no movement of the Army even for a kilometre," he had said.
BJP Lok Sabha MP and spokesperson Sambit Patra said Chavan's remarks are loaded with sedition.
"He (Chavan) has refused to apologise. The Indian armed forces struck 100 kms inside the Pakistan territory and destroyed 11 air strips (of the Pakistani Air Force). He made remarks that the Indian Army did not even move an inch (during the military operation). This is nothing but a statement full of sedition, a statement of a traitor," Patra said, lashing out at the Congress leader.
The BJP spokesperson maintained the Congress appears to be standing with Chavan and alleged the Opposition party is playing into foreign hands.
Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should apologise for it, he added.
Union minister Giriraj Singh of the BJP insisted it was not right to devalue the valour of Indian armed forces.
Samajwadi Party MP Virendra Singh suggested that wherever armed forces are concerned, every Indian should be mindful of statements they make and ensure their comments do not demoralise the military.
Operation Sindoor was a result of "mistakes of politicians", he claimed.
TDP MP Krishna Devraylu said after the poll defeat in Bihar, the Congress is rattled and their leaders have been talking absurdly.
"Chavan's remarks are a prime example of this. This kind of disrespect to our armed forces is not necessary. If the Congress is angry with the NDA, it should show it in a different way and not drag armed forces into it," Devraylu opined.
AAP MP Ashok Mittal said such statements should not be made by any senior politician, especially by someone who has been a former chief minister.
The Indian armed forces registered a strong victory and destroyed terror launchpads in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, Mittal added.
