BENGALURU: In the last few months, BJP leaders have been targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his government at every available platform, and the ruling party has hardly shown any aggression in countering the BJP onslaught. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah questioned his party leaders' soft approach and even asked them if they are scared to criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to party sources, while speaking at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) campaign committee's first meeting, Siddaramaiah questioned leaders why they are not countering when BJP leaders like Ananth Kumar Hegde, Shobha Karandlaje, Pratap Simha and others are making all sorts of allegations against the government and the Congress party. "The CM asked how many of you have spoken against it at the district level?" a source said.
The BJP leaders, who are now making allegations against Congress, were involved in illegal mining and many such cases, the CM said. He asked his party leaders to tell people about the government's programmes and also expose the BJP, which has been trying to divide the society and mislead people by talking about Hindutva. Sources said he asked Congress leaders to stop just making soft speeches and counter BJP's propaganda.
The campaign panel meeting was attended by KPCC working presidents Dinesh Gundu Rao and S R Patil, AICC General Secretary B K Hariprasad and former Union ministers Oscar Fernandes and Margaret Alva, AICC social media cell convenor and former MP Ramya, state ministers Umashree, K J George, Dr H C Mahadevappa and Priyank Kharge among others.
Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting, campaign committee chairman and Energy Minister D K Shivakumar said the presence of all senior leaders, chief minister and ministers will send a strong message to all Congress workers and people that the party is united and will spare no efforts to win the support of the electorate.
Shivakumar has chalked out an action plan to be implemented every day over the next three months to propagate the government's achievements, especially on fulfilling promises made in their 2013 election manifesto.
"We will make use of multiple channels, including social media, to reach out to every household in the state. Our target is to connect with 1.10 crore households in the next three months. Youth and women will play an integral role in our reach out campaigns," the minister said.
Anand Singh joins Congress
Anand Singh on Wednesday joined Congress. Singh, MLA from Vijayanagara Assembly segment in Bellary had recently tendered resignation to his assembly membership. Singh, who joined the party along with over 500 of his followers in the presence of State Congress president G Parameshwara and other senior leaders, said the Congress party will win all nine assembly seats in the district. Singh was once considered a close associate of former minister Janardhan Reddy and was a minister in BS Yeddyurappa government. With his exit, BJP suffered a setback in Bellary district. “I won assembly election with BJP ticket two times. However, I decided to join the Congress party as I believe in its secular ideology,” he said. Singh said they will ensure Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Hospet on February 10 is a success.
Rahul Gandhi is visiting the state from February 10 to 12.