Siddaramaiah takes jibe at PM Modi over 'God sent' remark, asks whether he is divine incarnation
Bengaluru, May 27: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his reported 'God sent' comment and wondered whether he was the divine incarnation.
He also asserted that claims of turning this country that is so diverse, into a 'Hindu Rashtra' was not possible.
The CM was speaking at an event organised by the state Congress to commemorate first PM Jawaharlal Nehru's death anniversary
"Narendra Modi now says he was sent by god. Look at the irony. He says --god has sent me to make Viksit Bharat by 2047. Is he the incarnation of god?," Siddaramaiah asked.
He said, "Not even a single day, he launched any programmes aimed at the poor, Dalits, backward classes, minorities, and unemployed. There should be equality among all and equal opportunity for all... has he taken efforts to achieve it?"
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"Fully aware of their (BJP/NDA) defeat, Narendra Modi is uttering whatever comes out of his mouth. He is doing it intentionally for the sake of votes by dividing Hindus and Muslims. He is doing it for polarisation of votes.
While speaking to the media, he says he stands for all people, but during election rallies he uses hate speech against Muslims," he added.
The CM's remark come in the wake of PM Modi's interview to a national news channel in which he reportedly said that he was not biological but sent by god.
Claiming that the BJP doesn't believe in pluralism, Siddaramaiah said this is a country that represents pluralism with multiple religions, castes, and languages.
"In a country that is so diverse, autocracy, and statements like we will make this a Hindu Rashtra is a dream talk. It is not possible in this country, one has to clearly understand this," he added.
Crediting Nehru for establishing democracy in the country, setting up several public sector industries and educational institutions, and building big dams, Siddaramaiah asked whether PM Modi, who claims that Congress did nothing for India, has constructed at least one dam, or established a public sector industry in 10 years.
ಪ್ರಧಾನಿ @narendramodi ಅವರಿಗೆ @BJP4India, ಎನ್ ಡಿ ಎ ಸೋಲು ಖಚಿತವಾಗಿ ಗೊತ್ತಾಗಿದೆ. ಹತಾಶರಾಗಿ ವಿಚಿತ್ರ ವಿಚಿತ್ರವಾಗಿ ಮಾತಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ದೇವರೇ ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಕಳುಹಿಸಿದ್ದು ಎಂದು ಮಾತಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಸೋಲಿನ ಸುಳಿವು ಮೋದಿಯವರನ್ನು ಈ ಮಟ್ಟಕ್ಕೆ ಮಾಡಿಟ್ಟಿದೆ.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) May 27, 2024
ನಮ್ಮ ಸಂವಿಧಾನದ ಆಶಯಗಳಿಗೆ ವಿರುದ್ಧವಾಗಿ ದೇಶವನ್ನು ಮಾರ್ಪಡಿಸಲು… pic.twitter.com/gVwBGfvfre
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Kerala polls: Vijayan, Revanth Reddy trade barbs as campaigning ends
Kannur (Kerala)/Hyderabad (PTI): A war of words between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy turned acrimonious on Tuesday, the final day of campaigning for the April 9 Assembly polls.
The two leaders sparred on the virtual world as well, exchanging letters on their respective social media handles.
The escalation came after Vijayan, responding to Reddy's earlier remarks, used Malayalam expressions considered nearly derogatory, signalling strong disapproval of the Telangana CM's comments.
Reddy, campaigning for the UDF in Kollam district, hit back swiftly, likening Vijayan to PM Narendra Modi.
He said he would take any personal remarks from the senior leader as a "blessing" considering his age, but objected to what he described as insults directed at the people of Kerala. "But you cannot abuse our Kerala people," he said, hours before campaigning drew to a close.
The controversy began after Reddy had said "nee po mone Vijaya" by invoking a famous dialogue from superstar Mohanlal's blockbuster movie "Narasimham" while referring to Vijayan on April 1 during a UDF campaign roadshow in Nemom constituency.
Earlier in the day, while reacting to Reddy's earlier remarks, Vijayan said a CM must maintain basic standards of conduct and questioned whether such dignity was being followed.
In his response to a query, Vijayan used Malayalam words that were seen as nearly derogatory for Reddy, signalling his strong disapproval of the remarks made against him.
Sharply reacting to the CM's objectionable remarks, Congress leader V D Satheesan said Vijayan appeared to have "completely lost composure" and warned that any further deterioration in his conduct would have brought "greater embarrassment" to the state.
After the critical remarks during the press meet, Vijayan wrote on his 'X' handle that political differences are natural, but expressing strong disagreement through personally insulting remarks is an attitude that he rejects. Reddy's statements lacked factual backing.
In a detailed letter attached with the 'X' post addressing the Telangana CM, Vijayan said the experience of the people of Kerala was "vastly different" from what Reddy had portrayed.
He clarified that he did not intend to engage in a debate over the performance of the Telangana government, stating that it was for the people of Telangana and political parties there to assess their government.
Referring to Reddy's comments, Vijayan said the LDF government has been consistently publishing progress reports over the past 10 years on the implementation of its election promises, underlining its commitment to continuous accountability.
He also rejected the allegation of "selective appropriation" of Kerala's achievements, including its top ranking in the NITI Aayog SDG Index, and said such criticism was misplaced.
Dismissing claims of industrial stagnation, Vijayan said Kerala has made significant strides in the startup ecosystem and ease of doing business, adding that these achievements have been widely acknowledged.
He also alleged that key infrastructure projects in Kerala, including the Kochi Metro and Vizhinjam Port, faced delays under previous Congress-led governments at the Centre, while long-pending promises such as a railway coach factory remained unfulfilled.
Vijayan further accused the BJP-led Union government of discrimination against Kerala and said the state has been actively resisting what he described as "anti-federal and undemocratic" policies through legal and political means, including approaching the Supreme Court.
He also rejected Reddy's criticism that the LDF was not vocal enough against the BJP, asserting that Kerala has been at the forefront of defending constitutional values.
Concluding his letter, Vijayan reiterated the state government's commitment to building a "Nava Keralam" and moving forward as a model for others.
On April 1, while addressing party workers in Nemom, Reddy used the popular Malayalam film dialogue "Nee po mone Vijaya". He adapted it to target Vijayan, saying "Nee po mone Vijaya".
Reddy went further, claiming that Vijayan's "time is over" and that his "expiry date has passed".
Responding to these allegations, Vijayan had said that the Telangana CM was "misinformed" and accused him of "ridiculing" Kerala and its people while trying to hide the weaknesses of his own state.
In a later response, Reddy defended his remarks and said that many of the statistics cited by Vijayan were taken from the NITI Aayog SDG Index 2023 24, arguing that the data was already outdated.
Reddy in his letter questioned the veteran Marxist leader's claim that Kerala would become the first state to completely eradicate extreme poverty by late 2025 had been achieved. Further, he chooses to conduct himself respectfully and gracefully in his criticism of the Kerala government's performance, whereas Vijayan opted to use language of poor taste.
Reddy, in his letter on X, said that while he respects NITI Aayog's corruption rankings, he wants to know why the infamous gold smuggling case, linked to individuals connected to the CMO, remains unresolved, and why 4.5 kg of gold allegedly misappropriated from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple has not been accounted for.
