Leaders hold breakfast meet, but farmers', pothole issues unresolved: BJP leader Ashoka
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP leader R Ashoka on Tuesday took a swipe at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, alleging that while the two leaders were holding breakfast meetings to resolve internal issues, the Congress government had failed to address farmers’ concerns and the pothole menace across Karnataka.
Ashoka, the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, said the government had "lost the trust" of anganwadi workers, farmers, entrepreneurs, the working class and Dalits, and alleged that "the only thing happening under this government is a fight for power."
In a show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday for breakfast, days after the two leaders met amid reports of an internal power tussle.
'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry), considered one of Siddaramaiah’s favourites, along with steaming hot idlis, was on the menu, official sources said.
Ashoka also objected to the chief minister consuming 'nati koli' on the day of Hanuma Jayanti celebrations, claiming that the act had "hurt the sentiments" of devotees.
He further recalled an earlier controversy in which Siddaramaiah had allegedly eaten meat before visiting the Dharmasthala temple.
"A few days ago, a breakfast was held at Siddaramaiah’s house, and now it has been held at D K Shivakumar’s house. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and K C Venugopal have directed this drama," Ashoka told reporters.
Citing civic concerns, he said more than 580 people had died due to potholes in the last 10 months in the state. "If the time spent eating breakfast had been used to hold meetings with officials on filling potholes, innocent lives could have been saved," he said.
Ashoka added that the issues faced by sugarcane farmers regarding price fixation and problems at maize procurement centres remained unresolved. "But no breakfast meetings have been held on these matters," he added.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
