MYSURU: The BJP-JDS padayatra, demanding the resignation of CM Siddaramaiah for his alleged involvement in the MUDA and Valmiki scams, and Congress’ Janandolana rally to counter the NDA partners’ protest has turned into a personal fight between Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Union Minister for Steel HD Kumaraswamy to establish supremacy in the Vokkaliga heartland.
Shivakumar is still to recover from the political wounds inflicted by the defeat of his brother DK Suresh against HD Kumaraswamy’s brother-in-law Dr CN Manjunath, Kumaraswamy’s victory by a huge margin and the loss of Congress Vokkaliga candidates in eight constituencies. For Shivakumar, that humiliation is the drive to turn the ongoing agitation into a prestigious one against the Deve Gowda family and to regain the lost ground among Vokkaligas.
It was during the 2023
Assembly elections that Shivakumar had managed to win over Vokkaliga voters, convincing them that he could become a chief minister. The Janandolana is a more pointed effort to win back the community that has distanced itself from the Grand Old Party and his leadership during the Lok sabha polls.
As the rally entered Maddur taluk in Mandya district, the attacks turned more personal between the two political bigwigs. The fight has now pushed the actual issue of the padayatra and Janandolana into the background.
Shivakumar said the BJP-JDS padayatra is being taken out with an ulterior motive of tarnishing the image of the CM and his family for not fault of theirs, and to destabilise the elected Congress government, he added.
He said BJP leaders BY Vijayendra and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka, who are leading the padayatra, should first answer questions raised by Congress over corruption charges in the previous BJP government. The charges include the Rs 47 crore scam in APMC, Rs 87 crore scandal in Bovi Development Corporation, misappropriation of Rs 50 crore in Devaraj Urs Truck Terminal, Rs 430 crore in Ganga Kalyana scheme, anomalies in the procurement of essentials during Covid, the PSI exam, and others, which total to Rs700 crore, he said.
“Kumaraswamy should back his allegation and come out with details of benami properties owned by me,” he said.
He, however, said the government will welcome and extend all cooperation if Kumaraswamy sets up industries in Mandya and generates employment for 10,000 people.
On Kumaraswamy’s statement that the state government will not last more than 10 months, he said the British could not weaken Congress and the Congress government is not a pot to break.