Tag: Siddaramaiah

This is my last election; will retire from electoral politics: Siddaramaiah

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Siddaramaiah further added that he will still be in active politics but after this election, he won’t accept any posts which will be in Delhi.
Karnataka Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday said that the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections is going to be his last electoral battle and he will retire from politics.
Talking to ANI, Siddaramaiah said, “I am contesting from Varuna assembly constituency as my native village comes under this constituency. This is going to be my last election. I will retire from electoral politics.”

Siddaramaiah further added that he will still be in active politics but after this election, he won’t accept any posts which will be in Delhi.
“I am contesting from Varuna (assembly constituency) as it has been cleared by the party’s high command. It’s not that I am interested to contest but Kolar people want me to contest from there”, he said.
Siddaramaiah said that Congress is expecting more than 130 seats this time.
“We are expecting more than 130 seats this time and Congress Party will come to power with a comfortable majority on its own. People have decided to change the government”, he added.
He also slammed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said, “Basavaraj Bommai miserably failed to protect the interest of Kannadigas. He has no business to continue as CM. Modi and Shah are coming to Karnataka to get votes and claim it’s a double-engine government but Maharashtra government is blatantly interfering with the freedom of the state.”

Siddaramaiah also added that he treats all human beings equally and not based on which community they identify with.
“BJP is a sectarian party. Ours is a secular party. There can’t be any disparity among the people of Karnataka. I treat all human beings equally whether they belong to Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or any other community or religion, I treat them all equally”, he said.
Siddaramaiah said that there are no differences between him and Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar.
“My relationship with DK Shivakumar is cordial. There are no differences between us. Of course, differences exist in democracy but it is not detrimental to the interests of the party”, LoP added.
Siddaramaiah also hit out at the state government’s decision to ban reservation of Muslims in the state and said “Recategorising (of reservation) is not proper, not constitutional. It is not valid… We’ve no objection to increasing the reservation of Vokkaliga & Lingayat but why you abolished the reservation of Muslims… It clearly shows vendetta, hate politics.”
Congress on Thursday announced its second list of 42 candidates, for the Karnataka assembly elections but no decision has yet been taken on who would contest from Kolar even as Siddaramaiah has expressed a desire to contest from the constituency.
According to sources, the Congress top brass has asked Siddaramaiah to contest from his traditional stronghold of Varuna in the Mysuru district, where his son doctor Yatindra Siddaramaiah won in the 2018 Assembly Elections.
Sources said that earlier, amid disagreementsbetween the party’s local leaders in Kolar, the Congress High Command had instructed the 75-year-old former chief minister to drop his plan to contest from the Kolar assembly segment
The Congress has also accommodated candidates who switched to the party from the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular). The party is seeking to wrest power from BJP in the state in the upcoming polls.
Meanwhile, former minister Vinay Kulkarni who has been named by Congress as its candidate from Dharwad constituency will have to campaign remotely since the Supreme Court has barred his entry into the district after the CBI named him in connection with the 2016 murder case of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, Yogeeshgouda Goudar.
Kulkarni has been out on bail on the condition that he will not enter the district nor will do anything to tamper with the evidence in the murder case.
Kulkarni was allegedly involved in connection with the murder of Goudar, on June 15, 2016, after he defeated the rival Congress party candidate in the Zila Panchayat elections.
On Tuesday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that the party will conduct an extensive discussion on candidates for the remaining 100 seats in the State.
The Congress had on March 25 announced its first list of 124 candidates for the polls, which included names of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and State Party president DK Shivakumar.
Elections are slated to be held in Karnataka in a single phase on May 10, and the counting of votes will take place on May 13.
Karnataka, which has 224 seats in the Assembly currently has 119 MLAs of the ruling BJP, while Congress has 75 and its ally JD(S) has 28 seats.
Political parties in the State including the ruling BJP, Congress and ally JD(S) are engaged in a spate of allegations and counter-allegations, with the latter attempting to corner the government over the issue of corruption.
Notably, while the opposition Congress and Janata Dal Secular have announced 166 and 93 candidates respectively so far, the ruling BJP is yet to announce its first list of candidates for the 224-seat assembly elections in Karnataka.
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#election #retire #electoral #politics #Siddaramaiah
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 8, 2023
Karnataka: Will Yediyurappa’s son take on Siddaramaiah from Varuna?

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Bengaluru: Amid speculation over whom the BJP would field against Karnataka Congress strongman Siddaramaiah in Varuna constituency in the May 10 Assembly polls, party stalwart B S Yediyurappa on Thursday did not rule out the possibility of his son B Y Vijayendra entering the fray.
Varuna in Mysuru district is among the key seats to watch out for as Siddaramaiah, the Congress legislature party leader and former Chief Minister, has thrown his hat in the ring in this segment, currently represented his son Yathindra.
When asked by reporters whether Vijayendra would be fielded from Varuna, Yediyurappa said, “Discussions are going on. Siddaramaiah knows that his ground is slipping away. I don’t think it is so easy for him. We will field a good candidate. We will give a tough fight. Let’s see what happens.”
The BJP veteran and four-time Chief Minister said the decision on whether to give the Varuna ticket to Vijayendra, who is the state BJP vice-president, would be left to the party’s central leadership.
Commenting about it, Siddaramaiah told reporters at the Congress office that he was not bothered about the candidate who would contest against him.
Congress state president D K Shivakumar who was also present, quipped that his party would welcome it if Yediyurappa himself decided to contest from Varuna.
Yediyurappa has announced his retirement from electoral politics.

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 30, 2023
Karnataka: Siddaramaiah indicates he may contest from Varuna & 1 more seat

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Chitradurga: Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday indicated that he might contest from his home constituency of Varuna in Mysuru district in the upcoming Assembly polls.
The Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly also hinted at fighting the elections from two constituencies, including Varuna, like he did in 2018.
Varuna is currently represented by his son Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah.
Siddaramaiah had earlier won twice from Varuna, and even went on to become the Chief Minister after winning from the seat in 2013.
“From many constituencies they (supporters and party workers) are asking…. From 25 constituencies they are asking (me to contest). I cannot contest from all 25 constituencies. There is one opinion at home that I should be contesting from Varuna, so I have said (to the party’s central leadership), clear Varuna, let’s see,” Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters, he said, “…at home they are saying that I should be contesting from one more constituency, let’s see, I haven’t thought about it.”
The Congress legislature party leader who is nursing chief ministerial ambitions in the event of the party coming to power, and has been looking for a “safe seat”, had announced in January that he would contest from Kolar, reportedly after conducting surveys. He did say, however, that it would be subject to the approval of the party’s central leadership.
Last week there were reports that the Congress leadership including Rahul Gandhi, during the party’s Central Election Committee meeting, advised Siddaramaiah not to contest from Kolar, which is said to be “risky” for him.

Following this, Siddaramaiah on Tuesday told a large group of supporters from Kolar who had gathered near his residence here that the Congress high command had asked him not to take even “one percent risk” while choosing a constituency to contest the elections.
Stating that the high command had left the decision to him, and had asked him to be available for campaigning across the state ahead of the elections, he had said, “I will speak to my son and my wife and arrive at a decision.”
Siddaramaiah, who currently represents Badami segment of Bagalkote district in the northern part of the state, has repeatedly indicated that he may not contest from there, citing his inability to give more time to people and party workers of the constituency as the reason.
The 75-year-old leader, who has announced that the 2023 assembly polls will be his last, has made it clear that he would not contest from his former constituency of Chamundeshwari in Mysuru. As the then sitting Chief Minister, he lost the 2018 polls in Chamundeshwari to G T Deve Gowda of the JD(S) by 36,042 votes.
He, however, won Badami, the other constituency from where he had contested the 2018 polls, and defeated B Sriramulu of the BJP by 1,696 votes.
Making his debut in the Assembly in 1983, Siddaramaiah had got elected from Chamundeshwari on a Lok Dal Party ticket. He has won five times from this constituency and tasted defeat thrice.
After neighbouring Varuna became a constituency in 2008 following delimitation, Siddaramaiah represented it till he vacated the seat for his son Yathindra Siddaramaiah (MLA) in the 2018 Assembly polls and went back to his old constituency of Chamundeshwari.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 24, 2023
Siddaramaiah takes dig at Modi for keeping mum on BJP MLA’s role in bribery case

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Bengaluru: Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence regarding alleged involvement of a BJP MLA in a corruption case filed by Lokayukta, senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Sunday asked him whether he has changed his ‘Na khaunga, Na khane dunga’ slogan to ‘Tum khao, mujhe bhi khilao’.
While the Hindi phrase ‘Na khaunga, na khane dunga’ translates to — would not take bribes, nor let anyone do so; ‘Tum khao, mujhe bhi khilao’ means — you take bribe and give me its share.
The former Karnataka chief minister’s dig at Modi, through a series of tweets, came on a day when the Prime Minister was visiting Mandya and Dharwad districts of the state. Assembly elections are due in the state by May.
“Mr.@narendramodi, Why are you silent despite Lokayukta exposing rampant corruption done by MLA Virupaksha (Madal Virupakshappa) & his son? Do you also have share in that corrupt money?” Siddaramaiah tweeted.
“Will a corrupt and shameless MLA of @BJP4Karnataka be able to go on a display march without the support of the supreme leader of BJP like you?, Mr. @narendramodi .Are all @BJP4India leaders shameless?” he asked, in another tweet, adding “Did you, Mr @narendramodi, change your Na Khaunga, Na Khane dunga slogan to ‘Thum Khao, Muje bhi Khilao’?”
Virupakshappa is an accused in a bribery case where his son, a government officer, was caught by the state Lokayukta police while collecting money allegedly on behalf of the legislator.
Siddaramaiah, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, also asked the Prime Minister stating: “…Can we assume that till the share of the corrupt money reaches you, all these shameless corrupt leaders of @BJP4Karnataka will remain safe & roam scot free?”

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 12, 2023
Will oppose RSS till my last breath, asserts Siddaramaiah

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Mysuru: Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday asserted that he would oppose the RSS till his last breath.
“Whether I am in power or otherwise, until I am alive, I will remain opposed to the RSS,” he said.
Addressing a meeting of Congress party workers at T. Narasipur in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah stated that the RSS is opposed to an equal society and he opposes it for this reason.
“As inequality existed, social reformer Basavanna built Anubhav Mantap. The Anubhav Mantap of those days is the Parliament,” he said.
He said that the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha have opposed the Constitution of India and the BJP also has an anti-constitutional stand. “If the Constitution is opposed it is as good as opposing Dr B.R. Ambekar,” he said.
“Ambedkar had warned that, if elected governments did not strive to eradicate social and economical inequalities in the society, the socially and economically weaker sections will demolish the pillars of democracy one day,” he stated.
Stressing that Hindu and Hindutva are different, he said: “I am Hindu. My parents are Hindus and I worship Hindu gods. BJP MLA and National General Secretary C.T. Ravi calls me Siddramullah Khan. Does he have any respect?”

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 6, 2023
Karnataka polls: ‘Winning an Assembly seat bigger challenge for Siddaramaiah’

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Bengaluru: Even as Opposition leader Siddaramaiah is vying for the Chief Minister’s post if the Congress comes to power in Karnataka after the upcoming Assembly elections, ensuring his own victory in the polls has become a challenge for him, sources said.
According to sources, Siddaramaiah, who hails from the Kuruba community, was finding it difficult to pick a ‘suitable’ assembly seat from where he could be confident of winning.
Siddaramaiah represented Varuna constituency in Mysuru district and chose Chamundeshwari constituency to accommodate his son. After his term as the Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah chose to contest from Chamundeshwari and Badami constituencies.
He took that decision following an intelligence report that he would suffer a humiliating defeat in Chamundeshwari constituency following backlash from the Vokkaliga community. The report turned out to be true and Siddaramaiah suffered a humiliating defeat in Chamundeshwari constituency. He managed to win narrowly in Badami constituency.
Siddaramaiah, however, has emerged as a mass leader and the champion of the backward classes in the state.
He enjoys the support of a good number of MLAs. Many have already started batting for him for the post of Chief Minister, all while embarrassing and challenging Karnataka unit Congress president D.K. Shivakumar.
Siddaramaiah is the only leader to launch poignant attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS and Hindutva forces. His supporters proudly claim that, unlike others, “Siddaramaiah could not be targeted by the ED, CBI and other central government agencies”.
However, Siddaramaiah also has the image of being anti-Lingayat and anti-Vokkaliga in Karnataka, which, according to sources, is costing him dearly.

The Congress leader is reportedly forced to find a constituency where OBCs and minority voters are more in numbers when compared to those of the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities.
Karnataka BJP legislator and former minister K.S. Eshwarappa has said that “Siddaramaiah’s defeat will be ensured by his own party leaders in the upcoming assembly elections”.
“Has the high command asked Siddaramaiah to contest elections from the Kolar assembly segment? He (Siddaramaiah) has gone there fearing defeat,” Eshwarappa stated.
“You (Siddaramaiah) ensured the defeat of Dalit leader Dr. G. Parameshwar to rule him out from the CM’s race. The defeat of K.H. Muniyappa, was ensured through former speaker Ramesh Kumar,” he added.
“The Vokkaliga community and Dalits are waiting to defeat Siddaramaiah… since both these communities have dumped him, he is in full appeasement of Muslims,” Eshwarappa said.
Former CM B.S. Yediyurappa had in the assembly suggested to Siddaramaiah that he should contest from Badami constituency, where he won, to prove his credentials as a leader.
As assembly polls are nearing, the challenge of winning an assembly seat for Siddaramaiah is more challenging than ensuring numbers of MLAs to become Chief Minister if the Congress is voted to power, sources said.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 2, 2023
Siddaramaiah charges Karnataka CM of presenting wrong info to hide BJP’s corruption

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Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday accused Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of using the Justice H S Kempanna Commission’s report to give wrong information in the Assembly regarding the Arkavathy Layout denotification.
The Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly said the Chief Minister was acting with an intention to “hide” the corruption charges against the BJP government.
He was reacting to Bommai, who on Thursday in the Assembly, reading out the excerpts from the Justice Kempanna Commission’s report which is not in public, had accused the previous Congress government of “redo” or denotifiation of Arkavathy Layout land.
“When I was not present in the Assembly, Bommai shouted and created an impression that there was a big scam worth Rs 8,000 crore. The Kempanna Commission has said that I did not denotify even one gunta of land. Bommai is speaking plain lies,” Siddaramaiah told reporters here. One gunta is equal to 1,089 square feet.
He noted that Arkavathy Layout was formed in 2003, and before his government came to power, 2,750 acres were notified.
“Later, final notification was done for 1,919.13 acres. This was challenged in High Court and went to the Supreme Court, which fixed some parameters and teams were formed to delete some lands when B S Yediyurappa was the chief minister,” Siddaramaiah added.
The file next went to Jagadish Shettar who subsequently became the Chief Minister, but by then the model code of conduct for the election was in place, so it was sent back, he said.
“When our (Congress) government came, there was a petition in the High Court because of which there was some pressure.”

“As our officers had stated that everything was done as per the Supreme Court’s parameters. I approved it. It was not a redo, but a remodified scheme,” Siddaramaiah further said.
Subsequently as Shettar, who was then Leader of Opposition, and others alleged that there was a scam, he had formed a judicial commission for an inquiry, the Congress leader contended.
Pointing out that in September 2021, the HC constituted another committee under retired Justice K N Keshavanarayana, Siddaramaiah said: “Hearing a PIL that sought for tabling of the Justice Kempanna Commission’s report, the High Court had said it can’t be considered in view of the Keshavanarayana committee that’s functioning. Hence, it was wrong to speak on a report that was not tabled.”
With the ruling BJP accusing him of weakening the Lokayukta by forming the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Siddaramaiah also sought to defend his government’s decision to constitute the new state agency.
“Gujarat, Goa, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and 12 other states have Lokayukta and ACB. Why isn’t the BJP abolishing ACB in these states?” he asked.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 24, 2023
Karnataka min invoking Tipu while targeting Siddaramaiah sparks row

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Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Thursday accused Karnataka Minister C N Ashwath Narayan of trying to ‘instigate’ people to kill him as he took exception to the latter’s statement that he should be “knocked out and sent off” like the 18th-century ruler of erstwhile Mysuru Kingdom, Tipu Sultan.
He urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to immediately initiate action against Narayan by sacking him from the cabinet.
The Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly was referring to Narayan’s recent remark in Mandya while targeting him.
“Tipu’s son Siddaramaiah will come…. Do you want Tipu or Savarkar? Where should we send Tipu Sultan? What did Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda do? In the same way, he should be knocked out and sent off,” Narayan had said.
A section in the old Mysuru belt claims that Tipu did not die fighting the British, but was killed by two Vokkaliga chieftains Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, which has been disputed by some historians.
Narayan on his part said, his statement was not personally directed at Siddaramaiah and in case the Congress legislature party leader is hurt, he will express regret.
He also clarified that he only meant defeating electorally and not causing any physical harm, as being misinterpreted.
“Higher Education Minister Ashwath Narayan has appealed to people to kill me the way Tipu was killed. Ashwath Narayan, Why are you trying to instigate people? Get the gun yourself,” Siddaramaiah said.
I am not surprised by @drashwathcn‘s call to kill me. How can we expect love & friendship from the leaders of the party that worships the murderer of Mahatma Gandhi?
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) February 16, 2023
Expressing surprise that no action has been taken against the minister who has openly appealed people to kill, the former CM in a series of tweets said this shows that Bommai, Home minister Araga Jnanendra and their “incompetent cabinet is sleeping and is in agreement with Ashwath Narayan”.

Has Gujarat BJP culture crept into Karnataka BJP as well? he asked while seeking to know whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will remain silent even now just as he was in 2002 (Gujarat riots).
Has Gujarat BJP culture crept into Karnataka BJP as well?
Will @narendramodi be silent even now just like he how he was silent in 2002?
Kannadigas will never let Karnataka to become like Gujarat.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) February 16, 2023
“Kannadigas will never let Karnataka to become like Gujarat.”
Urging Bommai to immediately sack Narayan from the cabinet and arrest him, Siddaramaiah said, “If no action is taken, it only means that BJP is in agreement with the appeal or they think Ashwath Narayan has become ‘Mentally Unstable”.
With his statement snowballing into a controversy, eliciting sharp reaction from opposition party leaders, especially the Congress, Narayan said attempts are being made to present his statement by misinterpreting it.
“People will not accept such things. He (Siddaramaiah) is the one who compared the Chief Minister to a puppy, called state BJP President a joker, Prime Minister Modi as narahanthaka (mass murderer) I have never tried to divide the society like him in the name of religion and caste. I only meant defeating him in the election through votes and not personal comment or causing any harm to him physically,” he added.
Addressing reporters in Hubballi, Siddaramaiah said, “Narayan has no business to continue as a Minister, I request the Governor to dismiss him from the cabinet.”
He was responding to a query regarding Narayan’s regret.
Claiming that the intention is to polarise votes as they (BJP) fear losing election, Siddaramaiah said, “I will not file any complaint, but it is a fit case in which police have to take suo moto action against Ashwath Narayan.”

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
Karnataka: Contest from Badami, not Kolar, people appeal Siddaramaiah

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People of the Badami constituency are not happy with senior Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah’s decision to contest from the Kolar district in the upcoming Assembly election scheduled to take place in May.
According to news reports, the people of Badami have decided to convince the former chief minister. Videos surfaced on Twitter where many were seen leaving for Bengaluru to appeal to the senior Congress leader to change his mind.
“We request Siddaramaiah to contest from Badami and not Kolar. We are planning to go to Bengaluru to convince him,” said one person holding a placard of the Congress leader and raising slogans.
Members of the Lingayat community said that they will go on a dharna if their plea is not considered.
Siddaramaiah, who currently represents the Badami segment had indicated that he may not contest from there, citing his inability to give more time to the people and party workers of the constituency.
“I have decided to be a candidate for the next election from Kolar,” Siddaramaiah said at the party workers meeting here, amid loud cheers from the crowd.
Badami is considered to be an important seat in the Bagalkot district, which falls under the “Mumbai-Karnataka region” of the state. Its major population consists of the Kuruba community, which Siddaramaiah hails from; followed by Lingayats and Veerashaivas.

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 14, 2023
Manuvada and Hindutva stir up murder & violence, claims Siddaramaiah

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Kalaburagi: Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday alleged that ‘Manuvada’ and ‘Hindutva’ encourage murder, violence and discrimination.
The former CM said he is also a Hindu who follows Hindu Dharma but stands against Hindutva.
“Hindutva and Hindu Dharma are different. I’m always projected as anti-Hindu and anti-Hindu Dharma. I’m not anti-Hindu Dharma. I’m also a Hindu, but I’m anti-Manuvada and Hindutva,” Siddaramaiah said.
Addressing a gathering here, he said, “Does any religion encourage murder or violence? But Manuvada and Hindutva encourage murder, violence and discrimination. That’s the difference between Hindu Dharma and Hindutva.”
The Leader of Opposition had earlier too made his anti-Hindutva stands clear.
Assembly elections are due in Karnataka by May.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 6, 2023