Siddaramaiah draws flak from JD(S), BJP over objectionable remark
Bengaluru, Aug 31: Senior Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah has stoked a row with an objectionable remark apparently directed at the Janata Dal (Secular), his party's ally in the previous coalition government, though he later claimed that he had only used a common Kannada adage and referred to the BJP.
At Periyapatna in Mysuru on Friday evening, when reporters asked him why the JD(S) leaders were blaming him for the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, Siddaramaiah used the Kannada adage that literally translates to "Incapable of dancing, a prostitute called the dance floor uneven".
The remark left the JD(S) fuming, with its national general secretary and spokesperson Ramesh Babu saying it reflects Siddaramaiah's frustration.
The BJP too condemned Siddaramaiah's remark, saying it reflected his party's culture.
As the matter escalated into a full-blown controversy, Siddaramaiah on Saturday said he was referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party, adding that the Kannada adage he used was very common among people.
"Being a former chief minister, the language he uses is highly improper and very low level. That is the culture of Siddaramaiah and his party," BJP spokesperson S Prakash said.
On Saturday, Siddaramaiah told reporters at Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district: "I was referring to the BJP. It is a very common adage in the rural areas around Mysuru. Those who cannot run the government call the floor uneven."
Hitting out at him, Babu said, "Siddaramaiah's statement in Mysuru reflects on his conduct. If a leader loses control over his language, it shows his frustration.
"JD(S) is like paradise for those who love it. It doesn't affect it if someone makes a hue and cry against it. It is fact that during the coalition government both Congress and the JD(S) had danced together," he tweeted.
The Congress-JD(S) government collapsed on July 22 after the confidence motion moved by the then-Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy was defeated in the Assembly, bringing to an end his 14-month-long turbulent tenure marked by dissidence within the Congress.
Siddaramaiah had come under criticism after the government collapsed as most of the rebel Congress MLAs, including S T Somashekar, Byrathi Basavaraj, M T B Nagaraj, Munirathna and K Sudhakar, were considered his loyalists.
However, rubbishing claims that he instigated those MLAs to resign and destabilise the government, Siddaramaiah had alleged that the unilateral style of functioning of the JD(S) leadership led to the collapse of the government.
Days after a verbal duel with JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and his son H D Kumaraswamy, who had led the coalition government, Siddaramaiah had recently said that the BJP was their opponent, and not the JD(S).
"We are the principal opposition party. Our opponent is the communal BJP and not the JD(S). We have no grudge against the JD(S) leaders", he had said.
"For secular forces, the communal forces are their rivals and not the other secular force," Siddaramaiah added.
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At least 64 people killed in strike on hospital in Sudan: World Health Organization
Cairo: At least 64 people, including at least 13 children, were killed in a strike on a hospital in the western Darfur region of Sudan on Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.
News agencies have reported that the strike on Al Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur on Friday not only injured at least 89 people but also rendered the hospital non-functional, Tedros Ghebreyesus, the head of the WHO, said in a post on X.
Sudan has been in a state of chaos since April 2023, when a power struggle between the military and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) developed into war across the country.
The RSF has blamed the military for the strike on the hospital.
The army, however, has denied the attack, but two military officials have said that the strike targeted a nearby police station. They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to discuss the matter openly.
The war has killed more than 40,000 people, according to UN figures, but aid groups say that is an undercount and the true number could be many times higher.
The WHO has said that over 2,000 people have been killed in attacks on medical facilities since the start of the war.
“Enough blood has been spilled. Enough suffering has been inflicted. The time has come to de-escalate the conflict in Sudan,” said Ghebreyesus.
.@WHO has verified yet another attack on health care in #Sudan. This time, Al Deain Teaching Hospital in East Darfur’s capital, Al Deain, was struck, killing at least 64 people, including 13 children, two female nurses, one male doctor, and multiple patients.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) March 21, 2026
As a result of this… pic.twitter.com/RAwDR5YVjd
