'Siddaramulla Khan' a stamp of my secular credentials: Siddaramaiah over BJP leader's remark
Bengaluru, Nov 7: Accusing the BJP of lies, slander and character assassination, senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said he is not upset about ruling party leaders calling him 'Siddaramulla Khan', and instead feels that they have rewarded his belief in secularism by attaching a Muslim name to his.
The former Karnataka chief minister was reacting to BJP national general secretary C T Ravi recently criticising Siddaramaiah by calling him 'Siddaramulla Khan'. Ravi had also alleged that the former CM would "finish Hindus" if Congress forms the next government in the state.
"I'm not upset about Muslim name being added to my name and being called Siddaramulla Khan. We have the heritage of Shishunala Sharif, a disciple of Govinda Bhat, poet Kabir, a disciple of Saint Ramananda. So, they (BJP) have rewarded my belief in secularism by attaching Muslim name to my name," Siddaramaiah said in a statement.
There is nothing surprising in the slander carried out by the BJP, which has made falsehood, slander and character assassination as a tool for its political propaganda, the Leader of Opposition said.
"Are they going to polls by showing their faces smeared with zero achievements, corruption and iniquities?" he asked.
Such conduct indicates their despair and helplessness, he further said, adding: "Let us all mourn the moral depravity of the BJP that once had decent people."
Claiming that people call him 'Anna (food) Ramaiah', 'Raita (farmer) Ramaiah', 'Kannada Ramaiah', 'Dalita Ramaiah' in recognition of his services as chief minister, Siddaramaiah said he will be happy if he is called 'Siddaramulla Khan' in recognition of the work done for the Muslim community.
"I have been opposing the communalism of Muslims and other religions with the same clarity and commitment as Hindu communalism. Like the BJP, I am not one who does communal politics targeting Muslims in particular, without any distinction between good and bad, for political reasons," he said.
Noting that the people of the state are convinced that the Tipu Sultan jayanti controversy and the violence that took place a few years ago in this regard was BJP's creation with a political motive, he said, "People have seen everyone from BJP Chief Minister to ministers to legislators celebrating Tipu Jayanti earlier, by wearing various costumes."
Accusing BJP of running false propaganda that Hindu youth were killed when he was chief minister, Siddaramaiah said, "I will not ask them to stop the slander against me. But it would be foolish if BJP thinks that I would stop my fight against their government's mismanagement, corruption and communal politics out of fear of such slanders."
Assembly polls in Karnataka are due in the first half of 2023.
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'Rear-guard action': BJP over Mamata accepting sports minister's resignation after Messi event
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accepting Aroop Biswas' resignation as the state sports minister is nothing but a "rear-guard action" to douse public anger over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week.
BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that this is also an "open confession" that the Messi event fiasco was not accidental but a government-manufactured disaster, borne out of the poor governance of Banerjee, her ministers and the state bureaucracy.
Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Biswas' resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.
Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.
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Reacting to the development, Malviya said in a post on X, "TMC Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigns after the Messi fiasco and Mamata Banerjee accepts it in record time."
"Do not mistake this for accountability; this is nothing but a rear-guard action to douse public anger. anger! This is not 'Raj Dharma'," he added.
The BJP leader alleged that the incident was the outcome of "loot" of common people which is "so synonymous" with the TMC.
The incident was also the outcome of the "shameless VIP culture that TMC thrives on and deep-rooted cronyism promoted by Banerjee," he charged.
Malviya further alleged that Biswas' resignation exposes a "collective failure of Mamata Banerjee, her partisan bureaucracy, and her crony cabinet".
"This is a symbolic sacrifice, a political hoax, soon to be buried under layers of bureaucracy, with no justice, no accountability, and no remorse," the BJP leader said, adding, "No resignation will bring back the time lost, the money wasted, or the stolen chance for football lovers to witness Messi in Kolkata."
