MYSURU: Chief Minister Siddarmaiah on Monday played an emotional card in the Varuna constituency, appealing to the people of the segment to ensure the victory of the Congress candidate from the Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency to further cement his position in the government. He said the Varuna constituency represented by him and his son, former MLA Dr Yathindra, should give a minimum of 60,000-vote lead.
Siddaramaiah called Varuna his lucky constituency as he was elected from here with a huge margin in both 2013 and 2023 that helped him become chief minister twice.
“If you want me to continue as chief minister, you should vote for the victory of Congress candidate Sunil Bose so that no one will disturb me,” he appealed.
He said the guarantee schemes have contributed to the economic empowerment of both men and women and increased their purchasing power. Ironically, those opposing the schemes, including BJP workers, are also enjoying the benefits of the guarantees, he commented.
He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not walking the talk and taking people for a ride with his ‘Achhe Din Aayega’ campaign. “Mere dialogues will not bring down prices of petrol, diesel and fertilisers. The PM should have conscience and empathy for people to generate employment and double the farmer’s income,” he said.
He criticised the Centre for giving just Rs12,000 under the Prime Minister Housing’s scheme. The Centre that sanctions Rs 1.50 lakh per house also collects 18 per cent GST from the beneficiaries, whereas the state government sanctions Rs1.28 lakh, he said.
On JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda, he said the former prime minister once wanted to take rebirth as a Muslim, but now claims to have a strong bond with Modi.
He said of Rs 4 lakh crore remitted to the Centre by the state as taxes, only Rs 53,000 crore has been given to the state government. He lashed out at Modi for not touring flood-affected areas in Karnataka.