BENGALURU: Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has asked Congress leaders not be disheartened by the party’s defeat in the recent Assembly polls and instead start preparing for the Lok Sabha election.
“We were 100% confident of getting a majority ... but we failed only because of BJP’s propaganda. We lost due to caste polarisation. However, in terms of vote percentage, we got more than BJP ... but failed to win more seats,” Siddaramaiah said, while addressing party leaders at a meeting here on Saturday.
“Let us start preparing for Lok Sabha polls from now as our only aim is to defeat BJP,” he said.
The Congress leader, who was recently appointed as member of the Congress Working Committee — the highest decision-making body in the party — said his government had implemented several pro-people programmes in the state. BJP, however, focused more on Hindutva during the campaign, he charged.
“Though we explained to people about the Modi government’s failures, it did not help us much,” he said.
Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi an artiste, the former CM said that the PM failed to fulfil promises made to people and it will not be possible for him to convince people again.
“People want kaam ki baat and not just mann ki baat,” he said.
Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said, “The party has to win at least 20 seats from the state and make Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister.”