BBMP polls not a referendum on Congress government: CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said that the outcome of BBMP elections can never be a referendum on the performance of his government.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of releasing the Congress manifesto, he snapped, “You (the media) seem to have made it a habit to ask this question. You asked this question during the Lok Sabha elections and the recently held gram panchayat polls. Let me make it clear. None of these elections, including that of the BBMP, will ever be a referendum on any government.”

He said that the ruling party approaches each election on different issues– during the Lok Sabha elections, the party fought on issues concerning national importance, during the panchayat polls, rural issues took precedence and with the BBMP, the party is fighting elections based on civic issues. “So how can it be referendum of any sort,” he asked.

On fielding candidates with shady past, Mr Siddaramaiah retorted that the party had not fielded anyone with dubious antecedents. “Several FIRs have been filed against former chief ministers B.S. Yeddyurappa and H.D. Kumaraswamy, but have you (the media) ever taken pains to ask the same question to these leaders? But whenever the Congress comes out with its list, the first thing that the media highlights is how many candidates with criminal background had been fielded. We have not given tickets to anyone with shady past. Even if a case or two have been filed against anyone, they could only be because of political vendetta,” he said.

Asked whether the state government’s would wind up the BBMP if the President gave his assent to the bill to divide the BBMP, Mr Siddaramaiah said “Let us see what he does with it. I will cross the bridge only when I come to it,” he said.