BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar ridiculed JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy’s style of politics, stating that his only job was to criticise.
“Tell me what Kumaraswamy has not criticised. His job is to criticise. He is criticising the Congress manifesto now. He criticised Mekedatu in the past and now he is saying he will implement it. He criticised the BJP for bringing his government down and now he has joined hands with them. He doesn’t respect his own words and I don’t bother much about his words,” Shivakumar told reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence on Wednesday.
“Kumaraswamy hasn’t even spared the Vokkaliga Mutt. He has created an alternative Vokkaliga Mutt. We all know what Kumaraswamy said about Yediyurappa and what Yediyurappa said about Kumaraswamy. We also know what Deve Gowda said about Yediyurappa. C P Yogeshwar, R Ashoka and Dr C N Ashwath Narayan brought down the Kumaraswamy government, but now he has joined hands with the same people. Now, he is accusing the manifesto of the party, which made him the Chief Minister”, he added.
When asked about how Vokkaliga votes are getting divided, Shivakumar said, “Vokkaligas and Vokkaliga swamijis won’t advocate a political party just because they visit them. They are wise and they won’t interfere in politics. The swamijis are aware of the fact that JDS leaders divided the Vokkaliga mutts. Swamijis could have questioned the BJP leaders for bringing down a Vokkaliga chief minister, but they did not. Now the JD(S) leaders are taking the same leaders who brought down a Vokkaliga chief minister to swamijis”.
He further said, “The Congress party has given tickets to eight Vokkaligas. I am the KPCC president and the Deputy CM. Vokkaligas are smart people and they are watching everything. Kumaraswamy is saying he joined hands with the BJP because of the Congress but he doesn’t realise that he has sold himself by this alliance. What is worse is that Devegowda had to field his own son-in-law on a BJP ticket. Now, they are embracing the same people who brought him down.”
Reacting to Kumaraswamy’s statement about DK Shivakumar’s ‘loss of balance’ during ‘Mekedatu yatra’, he said, “Let him say whatever he wants. I did not lose balance while walking due to intoxication. It was a very demanding yatra and I could not walk properly due to exhaustion. My fight is for the people of the region and I will build Mekedatu at any cost”.
The Deputy CM also commented on the prevailing Bengaluru’s water crisis and said that the government was considering filling up tanks and lakes with treated water in order to charge the groundwater.
Speaking on the performance of the JD(S) in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Shivakumar said, “Deve Gowda has said JD(S) will win four seats, but they won’t win even a single seat. He is calling BJP seat also as a JD(S) seat. Where are all the experts who were saying JD(S) will be in four seats? Even the media is not projecting the right picture. We are all watching these things very carefully”.
Asked about the dinner meet at Kumaraswamy’s farmhouse, the Deputy CM said, “He did not care when people were going hungry during Covid-19; at least he is feeding people during elections. The Election Commission must take note of all these things and take necessary action”.
Commenting on the BJP MLAs Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar working for Congress candidates, he said, “I don’t want to comment about it. A lot of JD(S) and BJP workers and leaders are unhappy about the alliance”.
Sharing details of Congress president Mallikarjin Kharge’s campaign plan for the state, Shivakumar said, “We have sent a report to the AICC after deliberations on Kharge’s campaign plan. He will be in Karnataka for nomination in Kalaburagi on April 12. I am also travelling to Kalaburagi on that day. We will decide on the campaign plan soon.”
When asked about whether the Congress party will be supporting independent candidate Dingaleshwara Swamy in Dharwad, the Deputy CM said, “If we are supporting him, we will support him directly, not indirectly. We have respect for the Swamiji but we have already declared a candidate and issued a B form.”
On the allegations of bringing down the JD(S) Congress coalition government, he said, “People won’t accept such allegations. I have tried to help people of my community whenever I can. We will think about how to help the Vokkaliga people and the mutts.”
Replying to an allegation that the Congress party is distributing gift coupons in Ramanagara, Shivakumar said, “More than asking what I am doing, they should reflect on what they are doing in the constituency.” (ANI)