Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday averred that the Congress will not forsake minorities for the sake of power and compromise with communal elements.
Addressing the Mysuru divisional-level convention of the Congress Minorities Cell, Mr. Siddaramaiah averred that the party will continue to maintain distance from such forces whether it was in or out of power.
Mr. Siddaramaiah questioned the BJP’s claims of speaking on behalf of all Hindus and said even he was a Hindu who respected Lord Ram and it was not something which was the monopoly of the BJP alone.
The Chief Minister flayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ignoring the welfare of the minorities in the country which had made a mockery of the slogan “Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas”. The BJP lacked faith in the Constitution and hence was unfit to be in power in the country, he added.
Referring to the various welfare schemes launched by the Congress in the State, Mr. Siddaramaiah said the objective of Anna Bhagya and Ksheera Bhagya was to make Karnataka a hunger-free State and eliminate the scourge of malnutrition and stunted growth in children.
KPCC president G. Parameshwara, who addressed the gathering, said the BJP was out to change the Constitution and its agenda was to turn the country into a Hindu rasthra and the minorities should be wary of it. The Congress will not allow this to happen and will uphold the basic tenets of the Constitution, he added, while appealing to the minorities to vote for the party and ensure its victory in the 2018 Assembly polls.
The occasion also marked the inauguration of the new office of the Congress (which is yet to be completed) and Ministers Tanvir Sait, H.C. Mahadevappa, and U.T. Khader, MLAs Somashekar and Vasu were among those present.
