MYSURU: Former chief minister and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy kicked off the party’s poll campaign from Chamundeshwari constituency on Tuesday. Attacking Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and their policies, he also made an appeal to the Veerashaivas and dalits.
Kumaraswamy, who knows that the support of only his Vokkaliga community won’t suffice to wrest power in the state, made an attempt to appease Veerashaivas, stating that he had not betrayed his BJP rival B S Yeddyurappa in 2007.
“Though I handed over power to Yeddyurappa, it was Ananth Kumar and others who pulled down the government,” he said. Appealing to Veerashaivas not to blindly support Yeddyurappa, he said people should bless him with 113 seats to form the government on its own.
He went on to recall that it was he who presented silver throne to Siddaganga Mutt seer Shivakumara Swamiji for his yeoman services.
Claiming that he had eaten food at a dalit house in Mysuru when he was CM, he said people have tried both the national parties and should shower their love and affection on the regional party this time.
Kumaraswamy said he had fought a heart ailment and is on a mission to serve people. “My father wanted me to be chief minister not to enjoy power. He is confident that I could do good and put the state on development track,” he added.
He said the administration has collapsed in the state with thousands of farmers committing suicide. The JD(S) leader hit out at Siddaramaiah for not doing anything to the farming community which was affected by successive droughts.
“The credit for Ksheera Bhagya scheme aimed at giving milk to schoolchildren should also go to H D Revanna (his brother) who took measures to revive the Karnataka Milk Federation and increased milk production.But Siddaramaiah has no gratitude to mention Revanna’s name,”he alleged.