BJP targets CM Siddaramaiah over KSTDC promoting Wayanad
Bengaluru(PTI): The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation's (KSTDC) social media post promoting Wayanad in neighbouring Kerala as a tourist destination has drawn criticism from opposition BJP, which has hit out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, calling it "high command appeasement" to save chair.
Congress top leader Priyanka Gandhi is the Member of Parliament from Wayanad.
The KSTDC's post on 'X' on October 28, promoting its two-night and three-day tour package to the hill station said, " Seeking thrill or tranquillity? Find both in Wayanad! Trek scenic trails, chase waterfalls & meet the wild with KSTDC. Your perfect nature escape awaits."
Reacting to this, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Assembly, R Ashoka asked Siddaramaiah as to how long will Karnataka tolerate a Chief Minister who behaves like "Wayanad's District Collector and fund raiser"?
"You (Siddaramaiah) signed off Rs 10 crore of Karnataka taxpayers' money to Wayanad at lightning speed. You gave away Rs 15 lakhs to the family of a man killed by an elephant. You announced to build 100 houses in Wayanad after landslide. You used KSTDC, Karnataka's own tourism corporation, to promote Wayanad tourism - Priyanka Gandhi's constituency," he posted on 'X' on Thursday.
Pointing out that north Karnataka faced floods, he further said, farmers are suffering, homes washed away, 12.5 lakh hectares of crop damage, but compensation still stuck in files, surveys, excuses, speeches and photo-ops.
"Where is the compensation and flood relief for Kalaburagi, Raichur, Yadgir, Bidar, Vijayapura, Bagalkot and Belagavi? Where is the urgency? What are your priorities?" He asked.
Accusing the CM of moving money to another state faster than he moved money to his own disaster-hit farmers, the BJP leader claimed, "This is not charity. This is High command appeasement to save chair."
"Karnataka doesn't need a CM who bows to the Fake Gandhi Family, spends our treasury like it's High Command's ATM, and forgets his own state's farmers who put food on his table," he said.
"We elected a Chief Minister of Karnataka, not a Puppet of Delhi, not a Brand Ambassador of Wayanad," Ashoka said.
Urging the CM to release full compensation to farmers immediately, he said, "Stop looting Karnataka's money to please fake Gandhi family. Karnataka First. Not Wayanad First."
Another BJP leader and former Minister C T Ravi said, the KSTDC, which is supposed to develop tourism in Karnataka, is inviting Kannadigas to Wayanad.
"Does Wayanad belong to Karnataka? Or has KSTDC become Kerala? The Congress government is going to pawn the honour of Kannada Nadu to please its party leader Priyanka Gandhi," he posted on 'X'.
ನಮ್ಮ KSTDC ಇರುವುದು ಕರ್ನಾಟಕಕ್ಕೋ, ಕೇರಳಕ್ಕೋ ತಿಳಿಯುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ!
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) October 29, 2025
ಸಿಎಂ @siddaramaiah ಮತ್ತು ಸಚಿವ @HKPatilINC ಅವರೇ, ನಮ್ಮ ಚಿಕ್ಕಮಗಳೂರು, ಕೊಡಗು, ಉತ್ತರ ಕನ್ನಡ, ಶಿವಮೊಗ್ಗ ಕಾಣಲಿಲ್ಲವೇ? ನಿಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕಾ ಗಾಂಧಿಯನ್ನು ಮೆಚ್ಚಿಸಲು ನಮ್ಮ ಕರುನಾಡನ್ನೇ ಕಡೆಗಣಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ?
ವಯನಾಡಿನ ಜನರಿಗೆ ಮನೆ, ಆನೆ ದಾಳಿಯಿಂದ… pic.twitter.com/ZPe5KHCsOf
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PM Modi is controlled by Donald Trump, wants to do the same in TN: Rahul Gandhi
Ranipet (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was being "controlled" by US President Donald Trump and that the PM wanted the AIADMK to capture power so that he could control Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.
Also, he claimed that the prime minister "handed out our energy security and gave away our data, besides selling our farmers and small and medium industries."
"You saw yesterday (in Parliament) the face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi completely lacking confidence," Rahul said on the delimitation bill.
"He (PM) could not even face the opposition. He was sitting sideways. And the reason is, he is controlled by the United States. He signed the India-US deal that sold our country out," Rahul said while addressing an election rally here.
He further said, "Today, if Donald Trump tells Modi to jump, Modi jumps. If Donald Trump tells Modi to lie down, Modi lies down. Why? Because Donald Trump controls Modi fully. How does he control him? He controls through the Epstein files. He controls him because he knows Modi's financial systems and understands Modi's link with Adani," the Congress leader alleged.
Just as he was being controlled by Trump, Modi wanted to do the same to the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. "That is why he wants to put AIADMK in power in TN," Rahul said.
The Union government had rejected references to PM Modi in the latest Jeffrey Epstein case files, describing it as “little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal that deserves to be dismissed with the utmost contempt”.
