BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday dared BJP chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa and other BJP leaders for an open debate on corruption. “I call them for a public debate on corruption, but they do not have the guts to do it,” the CM said. He was speaking after laying the foundation for various developmental works at Vijayanagar and Govindarajanagar Assembly constituencies in the city.
Lashing out at BJP leaders, he said, “Many BJP leaders have been to jail for corruption charges, but they are not ashamed —starting from Yeddyurappa to former ministers Katta Subramanya Naidu, Halappa, Janardhana Reddy and Anand Singh. In fact, there are ministers in the BJP who lost their ministership for watching porn films during Assembly sessions. This is their culture.”
Siddaramaiah said BJP leaders in Karnataka think that Amit Shah has a magic wand to help the party come to power, but that is not going to happen. “His magic wand will not work here and the Congress will come back to power again after the 2018 elections,’’ he said. BJP is in power in 16 states but how many of the governments have launched schemes for the poor, he asked and added, “We have made an attempt to make Karnataka hunger free.”
A mobile application was launched on Saturday through which the residents of Vijayanagar and Govindarajanagar can report any civic issues. The problem will be solved within three days.
‘I know every street here’
Siddaramaiah said he had lived in a rented house in RPC Layout and then Hosahalli, both in Vijayanagar. “I then got my own house in Govindarajanagar. I used to walk here every morning. I know every street here,’’ he said.