Siddaramaiah didn't visit Chamundeswari after 2006 bypoll, says Adagur Vishwanath

Mysuru: Veteran Congress leader Adagur H. Vishwanath took potshots at CM Siddaramaiah for his decision to contest the 2018 assembly elections from Chamundeswari constituency claiming he had not shown his face in the constituency after the 2006 byelection and had neglected it all because he did not have a ‘grateful mindset.’

Speaking to mediapersons here on Sunday, the former MP countered Siddaramaiah’s claim that Ahmed Patel was the reason for his entry into the Congress in 2006 and no Congress leader from the state was responsible.

“On June 19, 2005, Kuruba leaders met at the residence of Konanakunte Lakshman in Bengaluru. Siddaramaiah said he was being sidelined in the JD(S). We motivated him and invited him to join the Congress. He said that if we all agreed, he would join the party. Later, former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, B.L. Shankar and D.K. Shivakumar wrote to the Congress high command. Jaffar Sharief (former union minister) too recommended him. Without Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee’s permission, one cannot join the party. He can lie to people, but not to his conscience. He is ‘finishing’ people who helped him come up in politics. Siddaramaiah thinks he is bigger than the party and high command. Such ego is not good,” he remarked.

Vishwanath also alleged that Siddaramaiah had a major role to play in Operation Kamala in 2008 which helped the Bharatiya Janata Party come to power.