Defeat BJP, which is against the Constitution, social justice and equality: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Feb 25: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday warned that democracy will not survive if the BJP, which is "against the constitution, social justice and equality", is not defeated in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and removed from power.
Speaking at the valedictory of the 'Constitution and National Unity Convention -2024' here, he hit out at the BJP and the RSS, accusing them of disrespecting the Constitution and its objectives.
Alleging that the BJP is against social justice and the poor, Dalits, backward classes, minorities, labourers and women, he said, "I appeal to the people to defeat the BJP, who are against the constitution, social justice and equality, in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and support Congress and non BJP parties, who support and work in accordance with the Constitution."
The CM said, having studied all the constitutions of the world and extracting the best essence of them all, B R Ambedkar, who framed the guiding document of the republic, included rights and social justice in India's Constitution.
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He explained that India's Constitution is the embodiment of the wishes of Buddha, Basava, Sharanas, Vachana Kranti (Vachana revolution) and the wishes of Kuvempu, Narayanaguru, and Vivekananda and among others.
Noting that BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde, while he was a minister in Narendra Modi's cabinet had declared, "We came to power to change the Constitution", Siddaramaiah said, neither PM Modi, Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) and BJP, nor the RSS condemned his statement or opposed it.
Thus, Hegde spoke the agenda and ambitions of the BJP and the RSS, Siddaramaiah said, as he called on the people of the country to be cautious about it.
The rights of the working people of this country and the existence of labourers, farmers, and women are framed into the Constitution, the CM further said, adding that "All these communities will be forced back into slavery if the Constitution is changed."
Remember how Shudras, Dalits and Shramikas were treated when there was no Constitution, he pointed out.
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Among developing states, TN leads with growth of 11.19 per cent, no thanks to BJP: Udhayanidhi
Thanjavur/Pudukottai (PTI): Tamil Nadu currently stands as the number one state among India’s developing regions, boasting a significant growth rate of 11.19 per cent, despite a stark lack of support from the BJP-led union government, Deputy Chief Minister Udhyanidhi Stalin said on Sunday.
"The central administration has failed to provide requested projects or the funds rightfully due to the state. This neglect reached a peak in the last Union Budget, where the name "Tamil Nadu" was entirely absent, with no new projects allocated to the region," Udhayanidhi told the gathered crowd at Peravurani in Thanjavur.
He also accused the central government of "attempting to undermine" the state's cultural identity by re-imposing a 'Three-Language Policy' and pushing Hindi and Sanskrit into the territory.
"While these threats loom, the opposition leader, Edappadi Palaniswami, remains silent. Instead of questioning these injustices, he has formed an alliance with the BJP, effectively facilitating the entry of these policies into Tamil Nadu," the Deputy Chief Minister added.
According to him, the upcoming assembly election presents a critical opportunity for the people to respond to this continuous neglect.
"It is time for the voters to decide whether to support the Tamil Nadu team or a Delhi team that ignores the state’s developmental needs and linguistic heritage," he added.
Earlier, speaking at Viralimalai in Pudukottai, he argued that this election "is a war between the Delhi Team and the Tamil Nadu Team".
"We are the Tamil Nadu Team...we must send Delhi Team back to where they came from with a decisive win," he said.
He urged the electorate to break the "remote control" Delhi uses to try and control Tamil Nadu.
Udhayanidhi attacked the opposition, specifically targeting incumbent MLA and AIADMK candidate C Vijayabaskar by calling him a "drama company actor", who is part of a "slave group" being threatened by the CBI and ED.
The deputy CM listed the infrastructure and welfare achievements of the "Dravidian Model" government, specifically mentioning quality road works worth Rs 25 crore for 30 km and drinking water connections worth Rs 17 crore in the region.
He also claimed that the DMK revived the laptop scheme for college students after the AIADMK abandoned it in 2019.
Looking toward a second term, he promised that the government would increase the women's entitlement amount to Rs 2,000 and build Rs 10 lakh houses under the 'Kalaignar Kanavu Illam' initiative for those without homes.
Invoking his political lineage, he told the local cadre to set a high target, noting that while the party lost the seat by a narrow margin previously, this time DMK must win by a margin of "50,000 votes to drive away the slave group".
