Will win from Kolar even if PM and Amit Shah campaigned against me: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Jan 21: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah, who has decided to contest the upcoming assembly election in Karnataka from Kolar segment, asserted on Saturday that he will surely win even if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were to campaign against him.
The former Chief Minister has decided to shift his constituency from Badami in Bagalkote district in North Karnataka to Kolar citing age factor and the distance.
“Let (BJP national general secretary) B L Santhosh come, BJP national president J P Nadda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah and campaign against me. I will surely win from Kolar,” he told reporters.
Siddaramaiah was reacting to a query that a negative campaign has begun ever since he expressed his desire to contest from Kolar in the assembly poll, which is just four months away. There were reports that handbills are being distributed in the district against Siddaramaiah.
The Congress veteran added that the same was tried in Badami from where he contested in the 2018 assembly election and he won despite the campaign by Amit Shah and other senior BJP leaders. Siddaramaiah had contested the 2018 assembly election from two assembly seats – Chamundeshwari and Badami.
While he lost the Chamundeshwari seat with a huge victory margin of over 36,000 votes against the JD(S) candidate G T Deve Gowda, Badami was his face saver though he won with a narrow victory margin of about 1,700 votes against BJP’s B Sriramulu.
The former CM clarified that he was not contesting from Badami because it was too far away and age was a factor keeping him from contest the elections there.
“People of Badami want me there and are ready to even sponsor a helicopter but due to age related issues and distance, I have decided to fight election from Kolar,” he said.
Asked about the PM lauding the Karnataka government, he said Modi was lying.
“Is it not a fact that people made money in the police sub-inspector recruitment scam? Why is the additional director general of police Amrit Paul in jail?” Siddaramaiah asked.
He also alleged that the ‘notorious criminal Santro Ravi’ was being protected by the government.
“Santro Ravi is being protected. He is a notorious criminal, who is charged with rape. He was into transfer business and Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO). Why he was not taken yet on police custody?” Siddaramaiah said.
The Congress stalwart exuded confidence that his party will come to power with absolute majority by winning 140 to 150 seats in the next assembly election.
He pinned hopes on the Congress' promise of 200 unit free electricity to every household and Rs 2,000 per month to women who head the family.
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BJP has history of ‘contradictory alliances’, says BK Hariprasad
Bengaluru: Congress MLC B. K. Hariprasad has launched a sharp attack on the BJP, accusing the party of hypocrisy over its criticism of alliance politics in Tamil Nadu.
In a post on X on Friday, Hariprasad said BJP leader B. L. Santhosh criticising the Congress party’s alliance politics in Tamil Nadu was “not just laughable, but the height of political contradiction.”
He said the Congress has always joined hands with like-minded parties to protect secular and democratic values in the country.
Hariprasad questioned the BJP over several of its past and present alliances across the country. Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tripura, Bihar and Maharashtra, he accused the BJP of sharing power with parties it had earlier criticised.
He alleged that the BJP had aligned with separatist and corruption-linked political forces in different states for political gains.
“The BJP, which speaks against alliances today, should first look at its own political history,” he said, adding that the party’s record was full of “contradictions and changing stands.”
Hariprasad also accused the BJP of using central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department and CBI as political tools to target opposition leaders, topple governments and influence electoral mandates.
He further claimed that the people of Tamil Nadu had strongly rejected the BJP and its ideology in the recent election.
“Congress forms alliances to protect the Constitution, secularism and national unity, while the BJP enters into alliances only for power,” he said.
