Rift between Siddaramaiah and Dr G Parameshwar has hit govt machinery: Ananth Kumar

Belagavi/Hubballi: The law and order situation in the state is worsening and the 6.5 crore population is suffering due to the cold war between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister Dr G Parameshwar which has been going on for the past three years, said Union Minister for Fertilisers and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ananth Kumar.

At a party campaign for the upcoming polls to the Upper House in Belagavi on Monday, he said that the unresolved differences between the Chief Minister and the Home Minister had affected the government machinery badly. Police personnel who were supposed to maintain law and order had to resort to an agitation due to the state's government's negligence, the Union minister said.

The entire process of development had turned haywire with Mr Siddaramaiah neglecting his priorities. Despite being aware of some of the major problems faced by police personnel, the state government did not take any measures to fix them. Including the appointment of personnel to the police department, the government did not work on extending basic facilities to the personnel, many of whom were leading a miserable life, said Mr Ananth Kumar.

Ananth Kumar: Siddaramaiah responsible for ‘cash for vote’
Union minister for chemicals and fertilisers Ananth Kumar alleged on Monday that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was responsible for bribery creating havoc in the coming Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections. Speaking to reporters here, he claimed legislators were demanding money for their votes as the Congress had fielded a third candidate with an eye on the additional votes from independents and rebel MLAs of other parties.

Contending that the Congress should have made an effort to build a consensus among Opposition leaders before fielding a third candidate, he said the Chief Minister could have avoided shameful incidents like a media sting on the 'vote for cash' issue if he had been more amicable. “The autocratic approach of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to both polity and governance should be blamed for the ongoing charges of horse-trading against the MLAs. Siddaramaiah himself is encouraging cross voting by saying it’s the prerogative of every legislator to decide which candidate he should elect to the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council. His behavior is a clear breach of the Anti-Defection Law introduced by his own party leader, Rajiv Gandhi,” he said. Regretting that the party high command had failed to prevent Mr Siddaramaiah from encouraging corruption in the elections, he said the Congress should have fielded candidates based on its own strength in the Legislative Assembly.