Siddaramaiah responsible for coalition government's collapse: Shobha Karandlaje
New Delhi, Jul 6: Rejecting the Congress' allegation that it was trying to topple the Karnataka government, the BJP said Saturday that the "feud" between ruling allies Congress and JD(S) is behind the fresh political instability in the state.
BJP media head and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni asserted that his party had no role in the spate of resignations by the ruling alliance MLAs in Karnataka which has raised questions over the survival of the H D Kumaraswamy-led government.
Senior BJP leader and Udupi-Chikmagaluru constituency Shobha Karandlaje while speaking to reporters in Udupi also blamed former CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah for the collapse of the government adding that he was the mastermind behind the who political turmoil in the state. She further alleged that Siddaramaiah triggered internal feud between the MLAs against each other and parties as he was unhappy with the coalition government.
"The reality is that there is a battle for political supremacy within the Congress as well as between it and the JD(S). Siddaramaiah does not want the Kumaraswamy government to continue. This ugly internal politics is behind the instability," he said.
Congress leader Siddaramaiah was the state chief minister before Kumaraswamy.
While the Congress and JD(S) had contested against each other in the 2018 assembly polls, they joined hands to form the government after the BJP emerged as the single largest party.
After 13 MLAs of the ruling alliance submitted their resignations to the assembly speaker on Saturday, the Congress accused the BJP of trying to bring down the government by "buying" MLAs.
"The new word for 'aaya ram gaya ram' is MODI -- mischievously orchestrated defections in India. The Karnataka government which is a joint government having complete majority under our democratic setup is now being sought to be pulled down by defections and resignations," Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters.
Taking a dig at Surjewala, Baluni said the Congress leader has little idea about his assembly constituency in Haryana, let alone Karnataka or the country.
"The Congress and the JD(S) are trying to finish off each other. What is clear is that the people of the state have seen the corrupt face of the alliance government," he said.
Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa too asserted that his party had nothing to do with the resignations.
"We will see what will happen in the future... we will take appropriate decision at appropriate time. The prevailing confusing situation has hampered the development of the state. I am keeping a watch.
"Based on what decision the Speaker will take, we will think about further action," he added.
Asked if the BJP would make any move to stake claim to form the government before the Governor, Yeddyurappa said, "We will not do such things. We will wait and watch the developments that are unfolding."
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PM must clarify whether he endorses Sarma's 'utterly shameful' remarks on Kharge: Priyanka
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New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said the use of "abusive" language by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is "utterly shameful" and added Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify whether he endorses this "insult".
Sarma had triggered a row on Tuesday when he hit out at Kharge, saying that he was "speaking like a mad man" due to old age, after the latter put the onus on central agencies to probe the charges made against the Assam chief minister.
In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "The kind of abusive and derogatory language used by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against the Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, is utterly shameful and unacceptable."
She said Kharge is one of the most senior leaders in the country and serves as an enlightened representative not only of the Congress party but also of the Dalits and the marginalised sections of the nation.
"By insulting him, the BJP chief minister has insulted crores of people across the country," she said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify to the nation: does he endorse this insult directed at crores of Indians?" she said.
The Congress on Tuesday accused Sarma of insulting party chief Kharge and demanded an unconditional apology from him for his "deplorable conduct" that it alleged reflects the "anti-Dalit mindset" of the BJP.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday had said the use of "derogatory language" against party chief Mallikarjun Kharge by Sarma was an insult to the entire SC/ST community, and the silence of Prime Minister Modi on the matter "is not his helplessness, but his consent".
"If the prime minister sees an attack on the dignity of crores of Dalits in the country and does not speak up - he is not only shirking his responsibility, but is also a party to that insult," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
Gandhi said the use of "vulgar and derogatory language" by Sarma against Kharge "is entirely condemnable, shameful, and unacceptable".
"Kharge ji is a senior and popular Dalit leader of the country - his experience, stature, and prestige are unparalleled. Insulting him is not an insult to one individual alone, but also to crores of people from the SC-ST community in this country," he posted.
This, he said, just reflected the "old and premeditated mindset" of the BJP-RSS and was nothing new.
"Whether it is the insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar, belittling Dalit leaders, or personal attacks on representatives of the SC-ST community - the history of BJP and RSS bears witness that whenever a Dalit leader speaks the truth, they stoop to humiliate him," Gandhi said.
"This is their ideology, this is their true character and face," he added.
Posing a direct question to the prime minister, he asked, "Do you support Himanta Sarma's use of this language? Your silence is not helplessness, it is consent."
