The war of words between senior politician Mallikayya Guttedar, who recently quit the Congress to join the BJP, and Information Technology & Bio-Technology Minister Priyank Kharge continued on Thursday. Responding to Mr. Priyank Kharge, who allegedly said that Mr. Guttedar used to hang around his father M. Mallikarjun Kharge to get powers and positions, Mr. Guttedar hit back by saying that Mr. Kharge senior had lingered around his residence seeking support from his family for getting ministerial berths in Congress-led governments in the State.
He was interacting with media representatives during his first visit to the BJP office after joining the party here on Thursday.
“I was not in a condition to beg before Mr. Kharge [senior] as my father Venkayya Guttedar himself was powerful and a king-maker. It was Mr. Kharge who used to linger around our residence seeking my father’s support. It was because of my father’s intervention and influence that Mr. Kharge was accommodated in the Cangarappa cabinet. It was because of my father’s pressure that Mr. Kharge got additional portfolios in N. Dharam Singh’s Cabinet. If I am wrong, let Mr. Kharge deny these things, swearing in the name of Buddha, at Buddha Vihar in Kalaburagi. Priyank is still a child and his brain has not matured enough. He cannot understand as he has not suffered the pains as I have,” he said.
‘Selfish politics’
Mr. Guttedar alleged that the Congress party was destroyed by its own selfish leaders. “Nepotism spoiled the party. The leaders unfairly favoured their relatives. They consciously suppressed honest leaders. They forced me to quit by creating a suffocative situation. In the imminent Assembly polls, Congress would be wiped out in Karnataka also, just as it was elsewhere. BJP would get between 130 and 150 seats to form the next government,” he said.
Mr. Guttedar announced that he would file nomination from Afzalpur constituency on April 20 and take up an extensive tour in Bidar, Kalaburagi and Yadgir districts to campaign for BJP candidates. He exuded confidence that BJP would bag at more seats than Congress in Hyderabad Karnataka districts.
B.G. Patil, Doddappagowda Patil Naribol and other party leaders were present.
