Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi targets him for criticism as he was afraid of his popularity.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru on Monday, Mr. Siddaramaiah said he became the target whenever the Prime Minister came to Karnataka because the latter is scared of his political strength.
Referring to Mr. Modi’s statement that people of the State are unable to bear the Congress rule any more, Mr. Siddaramaiah cited the Congress party’s victory in the recent by-polls to Nanjangud and Gundlupet as examples of the party’s acceptance by the people.
He said the people of the State are looking forward to the return of Congress government in the next Assembly elections.
The BJP leaders would not have repeatedly criticised him if he were to be politically weak, Mr. Siddaramaiah claimed before adding that the BJP and JD(S) were coming together in Chamundeshwari in a bid to defeat him because of his political strength. The two paries were afraid of his popularity among the people, he said before adding that it was not possible for them to pin him down politically.
‘Dirty politics’
The Chief Minister accused the BJP of practising “dirty politics”. The BJP leaders had a “dirty mind” and there is nobody else in the country engaging in as much “dirty politics” as them. The BJP leaders do not know anything but to spread lies, he alleged.
He said BJP leader Muralidhar Rao comes from Andhra Pradesh only to criticise Mr. Siddaramaiah as former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa “does not know anything”.
‘Mission 50’
Mr. Siddaramaiah sought to mock at the BJP’s Mission 150 – the party’s target of winning 150 seats during the next Assembly polls - by stating that their target has now been revised to “Mission 50”. “By the time the polls approach, I don’t know how much more their target will come down to”, he added.
