Never seen a PM who speaks 'lies': Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah targets Modi
Sangli, Jun 25: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday hit out at the Narendra Modi-led central government and claimed that in his 40 years of political career he has never seen a prime minister who speaks "lies".
Addressing a rally in Kannada in Sangli district of Maharashtra, where the state Congress felicitated him for the party's win in the recent Karnataka Assembly polls, the CM accused the BJP of indulging in corruption in his state.
He said it was the responsibility of every Congress worker to defeat the Narendra Modi government and save the Constitution and democracy.
"Never in my 40-year political life have I seen a prime minister who speaks lies. In 2014, he (Modi) spoke of depositing Rs 15 lakh into the bank accounts of people, two crore jobs and bringing acche din (good days). Did anything of this sort happen?' the Congress leader asked targeting Modi.
Siddaramaiah said he and his deputy D K Shivakumar, who is the Karnataka Congress president, visited every nook and corner of their state to explain to the people about the previous state BJP government's "corruption" where "40 per cent commission" was allegedly taken (for various works).
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"BJP means corruption and corruption means BJP, " he alleged.
The CM claimed the BJP had won in Karnataka (previously) not by people's mandate, but "operation Kamala" which meant luring MLAs with money.
'I am sure the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government (in Maharashtra) is also corrupt and it is the job of the all Congress workers to defeat them," he said.
The Assembly elections in Maharashtra are due next year.
"All of us have to wage another freedom struggle to save the country, Constitution and democracy. It is because of Ambedkar that I am the chief minister," he said.
He further accused the BJP of dividing people on the basis of religion, region, caste and language.
Siddharamaiah also accused the Centre of asking the Food Corporation of India (FCI) not to provide rice to his government for a scheme, which is one of the five guarantees, that was supposed to start immediately after the Congress came to power in Karnataka.
'In the first cabinet meeting, we decided to implement the five guarantees we gave in our manifesto, one of which is providing 10 kg rice free to the poor people. The central government's move is to ensure we don't work on this," he alleged.
"The BJP can stoop to this level for politics. We were to purchase rice from the FCI and not take it for free. We want to provide the rice, purchased at a given price, free of cost to the poor,' he said while terming the BJP as "worthless".
Siddaramaiah said before the Karnataka Assembly polls, PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah camped in the state for several days to defeat the Congress. But the people defeated them, he said.
The BJP lost in constituencies where the PM campaigned. This means Modi's popularity in waning, he claimed.
The Karnataka CM further claimed that late RSS leader MS Golwalkar and Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar had opposed the Constitution.
The Congress will never allow the Constitution to be changed and all party workers should be prepared for any sacrifice to protect it, he said.
"Social equality and social justice have been enshrined in the Constitution and democracy is thriving in the country," he added.
In the rally, banners in Kannada language were put up with messages demanding water from Karnataka's Tubachi Babaleshwar irrigation project and 10 per cent quota to Marathi people in the boundary areas.
Maharashtra Congress MLA Vishwajit Kadam, who welcomed Siddaramaiah, demanded that the Karnataka government look into the water issues of Jat taluka in Sangli, which borders the southern state, and to also ensure that Marathi-speaking people of Belgaum do not feel discriminated.
The Karnataka CM also said he would look into the water issues in Jat taluka of Sangli and ensure the people get water.
The border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka dates back to the 1960s after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines.
Maharashtra has laid claim to Belgaum, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency as it has a sizable Marathi-speaking population. It has also laid claim to a number of Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of Karnataka.
On the occasion, senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat expressed confidence that just like Karnataka, Maharashtra will also have a Congress government (after the next Assembly polls).
He also demanded that the Karnataka government consider Marathi-speaking people their own, even as the Supreme Court verdict on the boundary dispute was pending.
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Integrity of electoral process severely compromised, Cong to soon launch movement: CWC
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Working Committee met here on Friday and adopted a resolution alleging the integrity of the entire electoral process was being severely compromised against which the party would soon launch a movement.
In the resolution of the top body of the Congress, the party said free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that was being called into "serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission".
The CWC, which met amid the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, said the session has been a washout so far because of the Narendra Modi government's "stubborn refusal" to have an immediate discussion on three pressing national issues -- "the recent revelations regarding corruption by a business group, and the violence in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal".
Asked why the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution does not name the business group, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The answer is the Adani group".
"The CWC believes the integrity of the entire electoral process is being severely compromised. Free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that is being called into serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission.
"Increasing sections of society are becoming frustrated and deeply apprehensive. The Congress will take these up these public concerns as a national movement," the resolution stated.
Addressing a joint press conference along with Ramesh and Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, party general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said the party discussed the political situation in the country for four-and-half hours and adopted the resolution.
He said the CWC has decided to constitute internal committees to look into electoral performance and organisational matters.
About the Assembly polls results in Maharashtra, Venugopal said the electoral outcome in the state was "beyond normal understanding and it appears to be a clear case of targeted manipulation".
