Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar  hug, say winning polls their main concern

DAVANGERE: It was an embrace that had a powerful message of unity behind it. When KPCC president DK Shivakumar and Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah put their arms around each other on the big stage of Siddaramotsava here on Wednesday, it was to convey to the public that they are together in their mission to bring Congress back to power in the 2023 Assembly elections.

Though both have on record maintained that the chief minister will be decided by the party’s newly elected MLAs and high command on gaining a majority in the polls, the vociferous crowd at the venue of Siddaramaiah’s 75th birthday bash, ‘Amruth Mahotsava’, shouted slogans that Siddaramaiah should be the chief minister.

Siddaramaiah asserted that the talk of a rift between him and Shivakumar is an “illusion and creation” of other parties and there are no differences between them and they will fight the opposition unitedly. Shivakumar too said that they are united, and added that Siddaramaiah is a leader of all sections and should not be portrayed only as a backward class leader. “Congress has a bright chance of coming to power in 2023 and for that, we have to go to the polls collectively,” he added.

Siddaramaiah said the BJP government in the state is indulging in corruption and collecting 40 per cent commission for projects. “If you have any shame and have any respect for the Constitution, resign and go,” he told Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

He said in the last fortnight, coastal Karnataka witnessed three brutal murders (B Masood, Praveen Nettaru and Mohammed Fazil), but Bommai visited the house of only Nettaru and did not console the families of the other two murdered youth. “You have given compensation only to the Nettaru family, but why not to the relatives of the other two,” he asked.

On the economic situation in the state, he said when he stepped down as chief minister, the state had a debt of Rs 2.42 lakh crore, but it has increased now to Rs 5.40 lakh crore. The government has to pay an interest of Rs 43,000 crore, he added. On the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) questioning party president Sonia Gandhi and senior leader Rahul Gandhi, he said the Central government is grilling the leaders without filing an FIR which is illegal.