Hitting out at BJP leaders who criticised the Siddaramaiah government on its completion of 100 days, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge has said that the former are frustrated after losing power in the State.
“Our government has completed 100 days in office. We are seriously working for the people. We are fulfilling all our poll promises, including the guarantee schemes. The BJP leaders who are frustrated after losing power in the State are unable to digest the success of the Congress and its pro-people work. Their condition is like the condition of a fish thrown out of water. They don’t have any moral right to criticise or question Congress governance,” he said, during his brief interaction with media representatives in Kalaburagi on Tuesday.
Pointing to the “uncertainty and chaos prevailing in the BJP”, Mr. Kharge said that the State BJP leaders continued to be clueless about what is happening in their party.
“Chandrayaan-3 touched the moon. But BJP leaders don’t know who their Leader of Opposition in the Assembly is. They don’t know what is happening in their party. They were locked up behind the barricades on Bengaluru footpaths when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the city to insult Kannadigas,” he said.
Terming the specific allegations made by the former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai as baseless, Mr. Kharge said that Mr. Bommai might be making such allegations to impress his party high command and get the post of Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.
“The chairperson of the contractors association has not made any allegations against the Congress government. What he raised is the issue of delayed payments. We will pay all the pending bills once the third-party inspection of completed works is over,” he said.
Responding to the allegation that he is carrying out vendetta politics against BJP leader Manikanth Rathod in Chittapur, Mr. Kharge said that the BJP should not grow not just in Chittapur, his constituency, but also nowhere else in the State.
“BJP leaders had alleged that their legislator N. Ravikumar had sold party ticket [to Manikanth Rathod] in Chittapur in the last Assembly elections. After the defeat of the party candidate, Mr. Ravikumar has not visited Kalaburagi. Yesterday, he participated in a protest in Chittapur. Why did he not stage a protest when his follower [Mr. Rathod] was banished from the district? Legal action will be taken not just against your follower but against you also if you act against the law of the land,” he said.
When asked about the support of Siddalinga Swamy of Andola Math in Jewargi to Manikanth Rathod, the Minister questioned the integrity of the seer.
“What kind of philosophy do you [Siddalinga Swamy] have? Does your philosophy advocate supporting thieves who steal PDS rice bags meant for poor people and milk packets meant for poor children? The BJP gave ticket to a milk-powder thief to contest the last Assembly elections and our government has sent him to jail,” he said.
