After C.T. Ravi, BJP general secretary and MLA, took a jibe at Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and called him “Siddramullah Khan”, the Leader of the Opposition lashed out at the ruling party and said that the BJP can only go to polls with such communal claims.
He said that being addressed with a Muslim name was a reward for him. In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Mr. Siddaramaiah asked: “Are they going to Assembly elections with zero achievements, corruption, iniquities, and full of hate?”
Mr. Siddaramaiah said that he is a man who believes in secularism and he takes such jibes as a gift. “I don’t mind adding a Muslim name to my name and being called Siddramullah Khan. We have the heritage of Shishunala Sharif, disciple of Govinda Bhatt and poet Kabir, disciple of Saint Ramananda. So, they rewarded my belief in secularism by attaching a Muslim name to my name,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
He said BJP leader Jagadish Shettar wrote the foreword and released a book on Tipu Sultan appreciating his fight against the British rulers. Former president Ram Nath Kovind too appreciated Tipu’s leadership during his address to the legislature, he added.
Meanwhile, in a response to Mr. Ravi’s comments, the KPCC named Chief Minister Bommai as “Bommayullah Khan”.
