Daijiworld Media Network – Mysuru (DC)
Mysuru, Apr 20: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday April 20 said that he would discuss with Congress president Rahul Gandhi and take a final decision whether to contest from Badami constituency in Bagalkot or not.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah said that he would abide by the decision of the high command on contesting from two seats. His reaction came after his son Dr Yathindra in his Facebook post claimed that his father Siddaramaiah would contest from Badami constituency too along with Chamundeshwari constituency.
The Congress has declared the name of Dr Devaraj Patil for Badami. But it has withheld his nomination form amid speculations that Siddaramaiah might contest from there at the last minute.
No alliance with any party
Siddaramaiah clarified on Friday that the Congress would not stitch any alliance with any other party in the state assembly polls. "We are a secular party and would not be forming an alliance with any other party," he added. He also said that the JD(S) was not a secular party.
Beef ban
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah also lashed out at PM Modi and the BJP for not fulfilling promises made during 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
On the issue of BJP's pledge to ban beef in the country, the chief minister said, "Why couldn't they (BJP) ban beef exports? Why couldn't they ban beef in north-eastern states? People are taking note of all this. They can understand all this. Congress will win this election. It will be a stepping stone for national politics. In 2019, Congress and like-minded parties will win at the center also."
"The Prime Minister promised several things for the economy which included bringing back black money, but the hidden agenda of his party overrides his promises.The 'bhram' people had for the prime minister no longer exists; they have now realised that he has cheated," he added.
'Amit Shah is a Jain, not Hindu'
Siddaramaiah questioned BJP President Amit Shah for hiding his religious status. "Amit Shah said I (Siddaramaiah) am not a Hindu, but Amit Shah himself is not a Hindu, he is a Jain. He might believe in Hindutva but let him come out and say he is a Hindu and not a Jain," he said.
'People will vote for performance, not promises'
Taking to Twitter, Siddarmaiah continued his attacks on PM Modi and the BJP. "Our people will vote performance & not promise. @BSYBJP failed the one chance given him & now he is promising corruption free governance! PM @narendramodi promised to bring black money back & deposit 15 lakhs in each family’s bank account. Not a rupee came," he tweeted.
"PM promised special status to Andhra Pradesh but let down the state & Shri Chandrababu Naidu @ncbn. For Karnataka the PM didn’t even bother to promise anything. Instead he took away Rafael contract from Bengaluru’s pride the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited," he said in another tweet.