Mysuru, Jul 19 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said opposition parties have lost the popularity, love and goodwill of the people, as he challenged the BJP and JD(S) to come to one stage for a debate about who has contributed how much towards the development of the state.
He was addressing a mega convention organised by the Karnataka government, where development works worth over Rs 2,500 crore for Mysuru were inaugurated and foundation stones laid.
“The BJP and JD(S) make false allegations. I have said several times that for you to know the truth and to stop lying or misleading people, all of you should come to one stage. If the BJP and JD(S) leaders come to one stage, I’m ready to come. Let’s debate what we have done and what you have done,” Siddaramaiah said.
The BJP claims that the state’s treasury is empty and the government has become bankrupt. There is no money for development because it has been spent on guarantee schemes. “If the government was bankrupt, could inauguration and foundation laying today for projects worth Rs 2,578 crore be possible?”, he asked.
“The BJP and JD(S) are saying this programme is Siddaramaiah’s show of strength. It is not a show of strength. This is to showcase the strength of development before you (people),” he said, as he accused the opposition of lying and misleading the people.
The BJP on Friday termed the event as Siddaramaiah’s “show of strength” to “blackmail or threaten” the Congress high command, using his AHINDA vote bank, against any move to replace him from the CM post.
AHINDA is a Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes, and Dalits.
Targeting both the opposition parties, the CM said the BJP has always come to power in the state through “back door”, “Operation Kamala”, and not with the blessings of the people; while the JD(S)’s strength is weakening election after election, and it can never come to power in Karnataka on its own strength.
“When I was JD(S) president, the party had won 59 seats. How many is it now — Deve Gowda (JDS national President), Kumaraswamy (former CM and Union Minister)? You have won 18 seats. You cannot come to power in the state on your own strength. When JD(S) began to weaken and MLAs and people started abandoning them, they joined hands with BJP,” he said.
“Operation Kamala” (Operation Lotus) refers to an alleged attempt of the BJP to engineer defection of opposition legislators to install its own government and to ensure its stability.
Claiming that the BJP and JD(S) have lost the popularity, love and goodwill of the people, Siddaramaiah accused them of not being pro-Karnataka, pro-poor, Dalit, backward classes and minorities.
“They are opposed to social justice, development of Karnataka and secularism,” he alleged.
Noting that Karnataka’s tax contribution is over Rs 4.5 lakh crore to the Centre, while it gets back only Rs 65,000 crore tax share, the CM, who also handles finance portfolio said, if we pay Rs 100 in the form of tax, what we get back is only Rs 15 from the union government.
Has the BJP or JD(S) MPs or union ministers ever questioned this injustice to Karnataka, he asked, and said, “None of them have the courage to stand before PM Narendra Modi, they trumble. Isn’t this injustice and betrayal to Karnataka and Kannadigas?” Asserting that the implementation of the five guarantee schemes in the state is for the poor spending about Rs 55,000 crore, without any discrimination, the CM hit out at the BJP and JD(S) asking if they are not ashamed to criticise it.
Calling the BJP and RSS “Manuwadis” and anti-constitution, he said, the people of the country and the Congress party will not allow them to change the Constitution.
Rebbushing claims that the guarantee schemes will be stopped, Siddaramiah said they will not be stopped at any cost, as these schemes are for the poor, and they will help in increasing their purchasing power.
He alleged that the Congress’ guarantee schemes were copied by the BJP in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and now in Bihar too, after criticising it in Karnataka.
“….are you not ashamed? You are now following the Karnataka model in other states, after criticising it. You have lied to people,” he added. PTI KSU KH
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