BENGALURU: Dismissing IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge’s statement that the JDS had saffronised itself for the sake of power, Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy said it was Congress that came knocking at his door to form the government in 2018. “Didn’t they know before that I had formed a government with the BJP?” he asked. He agreed he had criticised the RSS earlier and he would not deny it.
“Let him ask his father, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, what exactly happened back then and learn about it. Instead of indulging in politics in Bengaluru, let him focus on what is happening in his own district,” he hit out at Kharge junior.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Kumaraswamy advised Priyank to stop petty politics and instead address on the floods in Kalaburagi district. “When Congress leaders speak, they claim I was at the Taj Hotel. If I had only been sleeping in the Taj Hotel, would it have been possible to waive Rs 25,000 crore worth of farmers’ loans?” Kumaraswamy asked.
He said as Chief Minister, he had provided Rs 19,000 crore in grants in just one year for the development of constituencies with the Congress MLAs. “Now, Siddaramaiah says let us discuss what Kumaraswamy gave. The records and statistics are with him. He should check them first,” he said.
Kumaraswamy said despite the people giving it 136 seats, Congress has failed to address their issues. “In Kalaburagi, people are on the streets, farmers are in distress. What have you done?” he questioned Kharge.
He said when farmers requested Mallikarjun Kharge about the loss of 40 acres of crops in their fields, he replied ‘Where should I go then?’. This is what a senior leader told farmers. “I need not have to learn politics from you. You have no moral right to speak about me or my party,” he said.
Kumaraswamy said everyone knows whom Congress has backstabbed. He said the Congress did not allow Prime Minister Charan Singh to face Parliament. “The Congress also destroyed Deve Gowda’s political future,” he said.
Kumaraswamy said there is no plan to change the party’s state president. “As of now, I am the president. On the other hand, there is an idea that Nikhil Kumaraswamy should be given responsibility, but no discussion has taken place on this yet. For now, there is no change in the JDS state president,” he said.
He said the JDS and the BJP will form coordination committees for Bengaluru and the state. “In about 10 days, we will take a final decision on this.” Speaking on the reconstitution of the core committee, he said: “Our party has already held a meeting on this. We have decided to form a committee for the party organisation regarding the core committee and the corporation elections. A decision will be taken in the coming days.”
