Irked by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s broadside against the Janata Dal (Secular) and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s family at a Congress rally in Hassan on Wednesday, the JD(S) supremo on Thursday dared Mr. Siddaramaiah for a “political wrestling bout”.
At a party function in the Chamaraja Assembly constituency here, Mr. Gowda cautioned his political adversaries against dismissing him because of his advanced and dared Mr. Siddaramaiah for a political wrestling.
'Let it start from Hassan'
“Let it start from Hassan. Come on Siddaramaiah,” 85-year-old Mr. Gowda said.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Gowda opened a garadi mane (wrestling arena) in Mysuru and promised wrestlers that he would try to secure them monthly stipend from the government if the JD(S) comes to power in the State.
In response to Mr. Siddaramaiah’s remarks against his family, Mr. Gowda said the JD(S) would hold a mammoth rally in Mysuru and “deflate his arrogance”.
He sought to ask Mr. Siddaramaiah whether the Congress would win all the seats in Hassan district and whether his party could stop the JD(S) from securing any seats in Mysuru district. He also asked the Chief Minister if he can prevent the former Minister and his son H.D. Revanna from winning in Hassan and stop the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy from becoming the Chief Minister.
He said Mr. Siddaramaiah was yet to mature in politics, and added that he would not be able to grow as a tall leader by merely criticising others.
Claiming that Mr. Siddaramaiah was mocking at him by stating that the former Prime Minister was trying to make his son the Chief Minister again, Mr. Gowda asked Mr. Siddaramaiah to remember who shaped his political career in his initial days.
Referring to Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s statement that the JD(S) was the B team of the BJP, Mr. Gowda cautioned the Congress leader against making flippant remarks.
When B.S. Yeddyurappa was the Chief Minister, it was Mr. Kumaraswamy who exposed the BJP leader’s omissions and commissions because of which he went to jail. Mr. Siddaramaiah had not bothered to play the role of a serious Opposition leader when Mr. Yeddyurappa was the Chief Minister, Mr. Gowda added.
Against Cauvery board
Mr. Gowda opposed the setting up of Cauvery Water Management Board. The people of the State would lose their say in the sharing of the river waters if the board was set up, he said.
Describing Mr. Gandhi’s comment on the JD(S) as a “sign of immaturity”, party’s State president H.D. Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru on Thursday maintained that the Congress unit in Karnataka was in fact a B team of the JD(S).
Reminding Mr. Gandhi about the “origin” of a majority of present Congress leaders in Karnataka, including Mr. Siddaramaiah, Mr. Kumaraswamy said most of the Congress leaders had studied and learnt politics in the JD(S) school, headed by Mr. Gowda, before joining the Congress.
“Mr. Gandhi has to keep in mind that the present Congress in Karnataka is nothing but a byproduct of the JD(S),” he added.
Without understanding the ground reality, Mr. Gandhi had parroted what others had briefed him, Mr. Kumaraswamy added.
