Bengaluru, Sep 23: Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Saturday alleged that the Congress launched the 'PayCM' campaign targeting Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai because the party cannot tolerate a Chief Minster from the major Lingayat community.
But, Bommai distanced himself from a discussion.
I am not a party to that statement and will not comment, Bommai said in Chitradurga.
Speaking to reporters here, Sudhakar said, Whoever gives good governance, especially if there are strong Lingayat chief ministers, they (Congress) drag them out. People of the State are taking note of it.
Congress has always done that. They always target major community. This is not the first time. They did not spare Kengal Hanumanthaiah. Whom did they spare? Whoever is the Chief Minister from the major community, this is their constant approach, the Minister added.
According to him, the Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party government is providing a clean administration. In the last 14 months, people believe him as a people's chief minister. He is giving a good governance, which Congress leaders are not able to tolerate, he charged.
Sudhakar said the PayCM campaign shows the desperation of the Congress to come back to power. The Opposition party has sealed whatever little chances it had in Karnataka.
The Minister recalled how actor Akhil Iyer took objection to the use of his photograph without his permission in the campaign, citing the actor's tweet where he warned Congress of legal action.
You would have seen yesterday (Friday), they did the campaign in the name of actor Akhil Iyer. What did he say yesterday? He said without his knowledge or seeking his permission his photo was used. He said he will take legal action. It is obvious how malafide this smear campaign is, he charged.
Alleging that the PayCM was filled with malafide political intent, Sudhakar sought to know: "Are these Congress leaders Satya Harishchandra?' How many of these have returned from jail and how many are out on bail? Aren't they ashamed of talking politics and corruption?
He said the top Congress leaders in Karnataka, who are talking about corruption are out on bail.
Sudhakar said the party has no moral right to speak on corruption because it lost power due to maladministration.
The Congress launched the PayCM campaign, putting out posters in public places with a QR code with a visible image of Bommai in the middle. Upon scanning, the QR Code redirects to a website 40percentsarkara.com launched by the Congress 10 days ago.
When the general Assembly elections are just eight months away, the party launched the campaign accusing the Bommai government of indulging in corruption.
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Bengaluru, Mar 29: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on Friday said there are no leaders other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah who can solve all the problems at the national level.
At the same time, the JD(S) patriarch underlined the need for better coordination between his party and BJP to achieve the target of winning all the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.
JD(S) joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September last year. As part of the seat-sharing deal in the State, BJP will contest in 25 constituencies and the JD(S) in three.
Noting that the role of former Chief Minister and BJP stalwart B S Yediyurappa was very important, Gowda said he must forget whatever had happened in the past "because the time is very short".
"Our opponents are so strong. Don't think that we are going to win all the 28 seats unless and until we forget what all had happened in the past and our differences," the 91-year-old said at a coordination meeting of the two parties here.
Stating that "other than Modi there is no leader in this country", Gowda said he knows each and every corner of the nation having served the country as Prime Minister for a decade.
"Only Modi and Shah are the two leaders who can solve all the problems at the national level," the nonagenarian leader said.
Gowda cautioned the BJP and JD(S) leaders against taking the Congress lightly as, he claimed, the Mallikarjun Kharge-led outfit has "huge financial resources."
"In the present Congress government (in Karnataka), money reserve is one of the major areas for them. Can you challenge? Entire Bengaluru and every department are in the hands of one leader. It is not easy to challenge the Congress resources. Not so simple," he said.
According to Gowda, no one knows how much money has been pumped in by the Congress in Mandya from where his son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is contesting as the BJP-JD(S) alliance candidate.
"Today this so-called Congress is only in four states and the money has to be supplied from Karnataka. The president of AICC (Kharge) is from Karnataka. Please understand. It is not so easy (to win the election)," he said.
To highlight the "resource mobilisation" by the Congress in the Lok Sabha election, Gowda said never ever in the history of Karnataka 94 MLAs are holding the position of cabinet rank (including by way of holding positions as chairpersons of various state-owned boards and corporations.)
He also lashed out at Siddaramaiah for his statement "where is JD(S) in the state?"
"I will prove that 91-year-old Deve Gowda has the strength to demonstrate where the JD(S) is. I will not be scared. I don't have any fear," he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Yediyurappa expressed confidence that the BJP-JD(S) alliance will win all the 28 seats.
Yediyurappa also hit out at the Congress government for allegedly stopping all the development works.
"There is nothing much to say about this government. People have lost their trust in it. Its coffers are empty and development works have come to a halt," he added.