Siddaramaiah Calls BSY Dummy of 'North Indian' Leaders, BJP Hits Back at CM for 'Stooping Low'

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah upped the ante on Wednesday by dubbing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath as ‘north Indians’, who have reduced BJP's CM face B S Yeddyurappa to a dummy in the battle for Karnataka.

In a tweet, the chief minister attacked BJP for making the polls a fight between "outsider" north Indians versus local Kannadigas.

. @BJP4Karnataka by waiting for North Indian imports like PM Modi, UPCM Adityanath is admiting they have no leaders in the state. They have reduced their CM face @BSYBJP to a dummy.

PM may come & go. Here it is Siddaramaiah vs BSY & you know who is winning.#CongressMathomme https://t.co/IatRRstyAe

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 25, 2018

Lashing out at Siddaramaiah for “stooping low”, the state BJP said that CM’s attempt at North-South divide is disgusting.

Imports? How much lower can you stoop Mr. CM?

Your attempt at North-South divide is disgusting. But we understand your anxiety.

While you are rejected by your own constituents, PM Modi has a pan India appeal. It's time you learn a thing or two about leadership when he's here. https://t.co/YYo978DO74

— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 25, 2018

Well, speaking of imports, what do you have to say about the occupants of 10 JP?

We can understand your frustration & desperation Mr. CM.

When you realize PM Modi is more popular than you are even in your own Chamundeshwari, these kind of outbursts are natural. https://t.co/YYo978DO74

— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 25, 2018

Now, we think it is time we teach CM definition of

'Import': bring (goods or services) into a country from abroad. For ex: when you get Italian toiletries for your Bengaluru bathroom, it's import.

Not 'Import': When you get rape accused KC Venu from Kerala as Karnataka Incharge https://t.co/YYo978DO74

— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 25, 2018

Siddaramaiah has been taking on the north-centric politics of the BJP and RSS for the past one year, calling them anti-Kannada and Karnataka.

Be it primacy of Kannada in Karnataka or a separate state flag for Karnataka, Siddaramaiah has deftly played the locals card against the BJP, which he calls primarily a Hindi belt political party insensitive towards non-Hindi speakers.

He has also questioned the Centre for siphoning off rich southern states’ money and diverting the same to “backward Hindi belt states”, triggering another controversy a month ago.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath, who came to Karnataka three months ago, had set the tone for the elections by calling Siddaramaiah government an anti-Hindu government. The statement was also endorsed by party chief Amit Shah.

Later, the chief minister hit back at them calling himself a much better Hindu than the two. Since then, Siddaramaiah has been playing the Hindu card, describing his government as a better one comprising good Hindus unlike the “fake” Hindu party of BJP.

After the BJP high command denied ticket to Yeddyurappa's son Vijayendra against Siddaramaiah's son Dr. Yatheendra in Varuna assembly seat, the ruling Congress has been ridiculing the state BJP leaders and Yeddyurappa, dubbing them as dummies of north Indian leaders of the saffron party.

The Karnataka Congress alleges that the entire election campaign is being managed by the north Indians and the BJP local leaders are their puppets.

The BJP has hit back at the chief minister questioning Congress president Rahul Gandhi's domicile.