Obliquely referring to the differences between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, All India Congress Committee President Mallikarjun Kharge called for unity between the two leaders for the progress and prosperity of the State, stating it will be “tough” if they choose divergent paths.
“Mr. Siddaramaiah presented his 16th Budget and it is a very good one.... Mr. Shivakumar has also done good work as Deputy Chief Minister, Irrigation Minister, and KPCC president. He has been serving the party, people, and the government in various ways. I congratulate both Mr. Shivakumar and Mr. Siddaramaiah. I appeal to be united and focus on the development of the State. If we miss the development factor, people won’t trust us,” Mr. Kharge said at a public meeting on the outskirts of Jewargi in Kalaburagi district on Saturday.
The event was jointly organised by the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) and the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department to inaugurate works for Kalyana Patha, a project to expand the 1,166 km road network in seven districts of Kalyana Karnataka at a cost of ₹1,000 crore.
These projects could be implemented only when Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar work jointly, he said. “It is fine If they go together in concurrence, and it is very difficult if they tread divergent path,” Mr. Kharge said, stressing the importance of unity between the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister. Mr. Shivakumar, who was on stage, smiled on as Mr. Kharge spoke.
‘Modi’s 11 lies’
Training his focus on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Kharge outlined 11 unfulfilled promises made during Mr. Modi’s 11 years in office. These include getting Indian black money stored in overseas bank accounts and redistributing it among the citizens, generating two crore jobs annually to address youth unemployment, reducing the prices of petroleum products, cleaning the Ganga by 2024, and so on.
Published - March 08, 2025 09:36 pm IST
