Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for all the “illegal acts” of attempting to lure Congress and JD(S) MLAs to support the BJP in the run-up to the floor test on Saturday.
“His [Mr. Modi’s] role is clearly evident. Mr. Modi made the statement that at any cost we will form the government. What [does] it indicate? Knowing fully well that the BJP has only 104 seats and needed more for a majority, he stated that he will not allow any other party to form the government. Even assuming that two Independents were with the BJP, the tally would be 106. That’s all,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said, soon after Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa announced his resignation. “He (Mr. Modi) is responsible for all the illegal acts that followed his statement. This is strongly condemnable,” he added.
“The BJP, led by Narendra Modi-Amit Shah, who are like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels, have only tried to distract people from real issues, which they never discussed; and peddled only emotional issues to polarise the people and mislead them,” he said. “This a victory of the Constitution of India and rule of law. BJP not only misused constitutional offices like that of Governor, but also tried every dirty trick in the book to woo our MLAs by even offering them bribe, which has been exposed with evidence,” he said. “I am very proud that our MLAs did not fall prey to them,” he added.
Common programmes
Justifying the Congress-JD(S) alliance, he said it has been formed to keep communal forces at bay and to protect democracy. Both the parties will chalk out common programmes, and these formalities will be worked out later, he said. He also took exception to the pro tem speaker K.G. Bopaiah for not allowing him to speak and respond to the statements of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on the floor of the House after the motion of confidence was moved.
Terming the floor test as a “victory of democracy”, senior Congress leaders, including former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, blamed the BJP central leadership for the political developments in the State.
