MYSURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the president of the state Congress, has hit out at the BJP and JDS, saying that the two parties were trying to topple the Karnataka government for “greed for power”.
He was addressing a Janandolana public meeting in Mandya organised by the Congress to counter the BJP-JDS padayatra.
Shivakumar called the NDA padayatra “sin redemption padayatra” rather than a genuine protest.
Shivakumar claimed that the padayatra was not aimed at addressing issues against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah or himself but was an attempt to topple the government by stopping the guarantee schemes. He accused the opposition of using the march as a means to escape their own corruption charges. He said that the BJP-JDS padayatra was more about political survival than addressing public grievances.
Shivakumar revealed behind-the-scenes political maneuvering, stating that state BJP president Vijayendra’s victory from the Shikaripura Assembly constituency was a result of strategic adjustments rather than genuine electoral success.
Shivakumar sarcastically referred to JDS leader and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s inconsistency on various issues and challenged him to explain his stance on several projects, including the Mekedatu project and allegations against his family.
Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar defended the Congress government’s initiatives, including the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, which had faced technical delays. She said that the payments would be processed shortly. Laxmi also criticised the BJP for its lack of support for Karnataka and accused them of using smear tactics against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.