The former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is upset with the way Tipu Jayanti was celebrated by the Janata Dal (Secular)– Congress coalition government on Saturday, took to Twitter to express his anger and take potshots at leaders of the governing dispensation on Sunday.
A day after lacklustre celebrations — with Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara keeping away from the government-organised event and BJP staging protests, Mr. Siddaramaiah tweeted that power is not permanent.
Mr. Siddaramaiah, who started government-sponsored Tipu Jayanti celebrations in 2015 and is also chairman of the coalition government’s coordination committee, in his tweet said, “Compromises are sometimes necessary in view of public good. I too may have comprised. However, when it comes to the fundamental ideology like secularism, I cannot compromise. Power will be there and go away. I don’t care.”
His caustic remark on power comes in the backdrop of a superstitious belief in political circles that whoever organises Tipu Jayanti programme will lose power. Incidentally, Mr. Kumaraswamy, who took three days rest on doctor’s advice and whose name was not in the invitation, had clarified that he was not staying away from the celebrations owing to the superstitious belief.
Dr. Parameshwara did not attend the function as he was on a foreign tour.
While some BJP leaders had asked the government not to mention their names in the invitation, confusion prevailed over hosting the main programme at the Banquet Hall of the Vidhana Soudha. Initially, Ravindra Kalakshetra had been named as the venue citing security as the reason, but under pressure the venue was shifted back to the Banquet Hall.
Sources close to the former Chief Minister said he was miffed at the way the government organised and conducted the celebrations and especially the absence of the top two leaders. “He believed that Tipu Jayanti, which was started by the Congress government, would be held in a grand manner, as the JD(S), in the power-sharing agreement had agreed to carry forward all the programmes started by the Congress. This is akin to belittling a Congress programme,” sources said.
Sources said though Mr. Siddaramaiah had not raised the issue with the JD(S) and the Congress leadership so far, he was likely to raise it during the next coordination committee meeting.
Published - November 12, 2018 01:43 am IST
