Siddaramaiah targets BJP-led Karnataka govt on PM Modi's Kalaburagi visit

Congress leader Siddaramaiah speaks during a press conference, in Bengaluru. (Photo: PTI)

By Anagha Kesav: Former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah, in a series of tweets, listed the alleged scams under the BJP-led state government on the day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kalaburagi.

"Will you, Mr Narendra Modi, ensure justice to lakhs of aspirants who have been denied government jobs as Karnataka BJP demands crores for every job," one of the tweets read. In another tweet, Siddaramaiah demanded justice for contractor Santosh Patil's death.

Patil, who had accused the then state Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa of demanding a 40 per cent cut in public works in his district, died by suicide last year.

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Siddaramaiah also accused the state government of "looting" more than Rs 3,000 crore during the Covid pandemic by taking commission from the suppliers of essential commodities.

Civic issues such as the metro pillar accidents and pothole deaths were also pointed out by Siddaramaiah. The Congress leader demanded action against the engineer responsible for the metro pillar collapse that killed a woman and her toddler son in Bengaluru recently.

This scathing attack came on the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the poll-bound state to launch various development projects. As PM Modi distributed title deeds to nomadic Lambani (Banjara) tribes in Kalaburagi, Siddaramaiah also charged the ruling BJP in Karnataka with "feasting on the meals" prepared by the previous Congress government headed by him.

The senior Congress leader claimed that the BJP was trying to project that they were granting revenue village status to ‘Thandas’ (this community's habitations), which was "misleading".

He also accused the BJP of painting a "wrong picture" to the PM by projecting that they were giving land rights to the Lambanis.