Dakshina Kannada District Congress President and MLC K. Harish Kumar was at his wit’s end at the recent statement of Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai that the latter would send details of corruption allegedly committed during the Siddaramaiah government to party leader Rahul Gandhi.
“Why send the details to Mr. Gandhi when the double engine government has all the probe agencies, Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and other agencies under it and of course, the independent Lokayukta. I dare the Chief Minister to order probe into the charges,” Mr. Kumar told reporters here on October 22.
A stalwart leader
Reacting to Mr. Bommai’s reported statement that M. Mallikarjuna Kharge should have been made Congress president when the party was in power and not when the party was facing difficult times, Mr. Kumar wondered whether the Chief Minister was unaware of the capabilities of the Congress stalwart. When the then NDA government under A.B. Vajpayee rejected the special status for Hyderabad Karnataka, it was Mr. Kharge who got the special status for the region when the UPA came to power.
He brought several developmental projects to the region, besides ensuring separate reservation for the residents of Hyderabad Karnataka in education and employment. Of course, the Bommai government has now named Hyderabad Karnataka as Kalyana Karnataka; the BJP knows only renaming and not introducing any new schemes or projects, Mr. Kumar chided.
Countering criticism
Responding to criticisms from BJP about Rahul Gandhi’s Bharath Jodo Yatra, Mr. Kumar said the yatra was aimed at bringing together minds that have been divided by the BJP and Sangh Parivar affiliates. It is not the physical reunion as talked about by the BJP, he said. Moreover, he added, Mr. Gandhi had become a seasoned politician, unlike what was being portrayed by the BJP.
Criticising the Union government, Mr. Kumar said the financial condition has become pathetic with the Rupee falling drastically against the US Dollar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had talked about making India the Vishwa Guru (World Leader) and he had ensured that India became World Leader in poverty, Mr. Kumar said.
MLC Manjunatha Bhandary, leaders Shashidhar Hegde, Naveen D’Souza and others were present.
