Congress leaders K.J. George, R. Ramalinga Reddy, Roshan Baig and R. Dinesh Gundurao addressing the media after releasing the chargesheet against the BJP's five-year rule in BBMP, in Bengaluru on Tuesday (Photo: DC)
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah exuded confidence on Tuesday that his Congress party would win the BBMP polls hands down, while refusing to characterize the urban body poll this coming Saturday as a vote on his government's functioning.
“It is not a referendum on my government,” he said to journalists firmly, in the face of a barrage of questions that sought to ask whether he would accept responsibility for the poll results, be it victory or defeat as it was his face that was appearing in all the larger than life posters across the city.
“We are going to win the elections under any circumstances, so that question does not arise,” a self-assured Chief Minister said, during his interaction with journalists at his residence on Tuesday, while finally conceding that any setback in the BBMP polls, would “at best be a warning bell for us (the Congress government).”
Even the appearance of Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha on the campaign trail on Tuesday who is rumoured to be positioning himself for a comeback in the state, didn't seem to faze him.
Asked if Mr Kharge was set to replace him as CM if the party lost the polls, all Mr Siddaramaiah said was “This is purely hypothetical...”.
According to the Chief Minister, there is a perfect understanding between him and his other rumoured rival, the Congress party’s state unit president Dr G. Parameshwar. “More than ever before, both of us have a perfect understanding. We are campaigning together. There are no differences at all,” he said, while also squashing rumours of a cabinet expansion, saying that decision was one that would be made by the party high command.
The candidates were picked through a “democratic process” in tandem with the KPCC chief and other prominent leaders, he said, which gave him further confidence that the party would win.
On octogenerian and former foreign minister and chief minister S.M. Krishna missing from the campaign during the BBMP polls, he said, “I believe he said he had no time for it. I did not speak to him. Our president spoke to him.”
Nilekani ‘inactive’
He did however take a humorous dig at former IT czar and MP hopeful, Nandan Nilekani who has been missing from the campaign. “He is not be seen...” he said, smiling, and then turned to his colleague and right hand man R. Ramalinga Reddy for support, quickly adding, Mr Nilekani was “inactive” in politics but had not quit the party.
Poll outcome no referendum on state government: Mallikarjun Kharge
Ruling out the possibility of BBMP poll results having an impact on state politics, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday declared that the outcome of a poll of this kind can never be a referendum on the state government’s performance.
Speaking to reporters while campaigning in C.V. Raman Nagar here, Mr Kharge felt the outcome can at the best be construed as a warning but cannot be termed as a referendum on the performance of the state government. “Referendum is too serious a word to use for this election. Nevertheless, the Congress considers every election with equal seriousness. Every leader in the Congress party is involved in the campaign and is criss-crossing the entire city. This itself points to the fact that the Congress party has taken this election seriously,” he said.
He remarked that if Bengaluru voters choose the Congress, it will certainly give a boost to the chief minister. “Mr Siddaramaiah is an able administrator and has proved it time and again. He has taken up so many initiatives that aim to help the poor which are enough to prove that his heart beats for them,” he said. As CM, Mr Siddaramaiah had released funds to BBMP at a time when it was controlled by the BJP, Mr. Kharge said.
Congress lists BJP’s 50 crimes
Targeting the BJP’s five-year rule in the BBMP, the Congress party on Tuesday released a chargesheet against them compiling as many as 50 ‘crimes’ committed against Bengaluru citizens in the last five years.
Five ministers- transport minister R. Ramalinga Reddy, home minister K.J. George, infrastructure minister, R. Roshan Baig, food and civil supplies minister R. Dinesh Gundu Rao and agriculture minister Krishna Byregowda- addressed a joint press conference at the KPCC office here.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Byregowda declared that the Congress party had prepared this chargesheet after giving it lot of thought and gathering enough proof. According to him, the Congress’s only aim is to provide better infrastructure to citizen by taking up several initiatives once it wins in the polls.
Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy declared that the Congress was committed to initiating legal action against those who indulged in rampant corruption. “We will not keep quiet once we come to power in BBMP,” he asserted.
Mr Reddy said it was the Congress which ensured that illegal encroachments were cleared based on the recommendations of former IAS officer, V. Balasubramanyam. “We recovered nearly 5,000 acres of prime land of the nearly 26,000 acres of encroached land,” Mr Reddy said. Mr. Reddy alleged that the BJP which was in power when this report was filed, had kept it on the back burner.
