“BJP has pushed back the country’s economy by decades due to its ill advised policies,’’ Siddaramaiah, leader of the opposition, said in Belagavi on Tuesday.
He was speaking at a Congress rally at the Maratha Mandal College, to campaign for party nominees Prakash Hukkeri and Sunil Sunk, in the legislative council polls from the teachers and graduates constituencies.
“BJP is destroying the State and the country. They have no clue about the economy and are taking steps after steps that are ill advised. As educated voters, you should not support such disruptive forces,’’ he said.
The union government’s policies are responsible for the rise in petrol and diesel prices, essential items like food products, cement, steel and other items. “The rulers want the poor to suffer while the rich get richer. They need to be taught a lesson,’’ he said.
“Council members like Hanumant Nirani and Arun Shahapur are not accessible to their voters. When they don’t show their face, where is the question of development of their constituencies or redressal of the grievances of their voters?,’’ he questioned.
“It is not just the economy, but the BJP is also faltering in all fields. It is destroying the social fabric of the country by dividing it on caste and communal lines. I believe that any individual or party that deliberately goes against the spirit of the Constitution is anti-national. Hence, BJP is anti-national,” he said. “I have said it earlier and I will say it now,’’ he said.
He said that while the union government collected ₹14 lakh crore in form of taxes from the State, only around ₹4 lakh crore were returned under the tax sharing formula. When people like me ask why our due share is not given to us, we are criticised. The Modi Sarkar has taken loans of over ₹102 lakh crore since it came to power in 2014. This is grave injustice and betrayal of the people’s mandate, he said.
Satish Jarkiholi, KPCC working president, introduced the candidates. While Mr. Hukkeri is known for his developmental approach and easy access to his voters, Mr. Sunk is a dedicated Congress worker who is known for his honesty, he said.
M.B. Patil, campaign committee chairman, said that Mr. Hukkeri had changed the face of Chikkodi when he represented it as a legislator. He will surely help all the teachers resolve their issues with the government, he said.
Anjali Nimbalkar, MLA, asked the voters to reject those who try to fiddle with the country’s history.
Lakshmi Hebbalkar, MLA, said that the teachers constituency voters were lucky to get a candidate as hard working and dedicated as Mr. Hukkeri.
The former MLAs Firose Sait and Ashok Pattan, Maratha Mandal Society chairperson Rajashree Halagekar and others were present.
