I will restrict my poll campaign trail to K’taka only: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that he would restrict his campaign tours only to Karnataka, which, he said would be launched on December 13.
Speaking to reporters at his official residence Krishna, Siddaramaiah said that there was no need for him to campaign on behalf of his party in Gujarat, as there were other national leaders to carry out the exercise.
“I will not leave Karnataka and go anywhere else for campaigning. Why should I go to Gujarat, when there is so much work left here for me to do. There are several national leaders in the Congress party to do that,” he said.
Siddaramaiah however added that his ministerial colleague D K Shivakumar might campaign for the party in Gujarat, which will go to polls on December 9 and 14.
Janaashirvada Yatra
To counter the BJP’s Nava Karnataka Nirmana Parivatan Yatra, Siddaramaiah said that the Congress would launch ‘Janaashirvada Yatra’ in the month of March.
While he would carry out campaigning activities on behalf of the government in December, in the month of March, Siddaramaiah said that he would launch the Janaashirvada Yatra alongside KPCC president G Parameshwara in a bid to seek the “blessings of the people”.
“At no point will I go around with a ‘tamate’ like the BJP leaders,” he said, taking a dig at BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa.
Attacks Yogeeshwara
Siddaramaiah also attacked Channapatna MLA C P Yogeeshwara, who ditched his support to the Congress and joined the BJP, for his “betrayal”. He said that he had made a mistake by taking Yogeeshwara into the party.
“Yogeeshwara had said that he would remain in the Congress. He doesn’t bother participating in the Assembly proceedings. He didn’t even bother representing Channaptana in the House. I was the one who released all the funds for the development of the constituency. He didn’t spend from his own pockets. I even made his brother the zilla panchayat president. But now he chooses to go to the BJP. He is even trying to poach some of the Congress MLAs,” he added.
Siddaramaiah said that the party had considered Yogeeshwara’s support on Shivakumar’s recommendation. Yogeeshwara had won the 2013 Assembly elections on a Samajawadi Party ticket.
Siddaramaiah gave a call to the party workers of Channapatna to ensure Yogeeshwara’s defeat. “Yogeeshwara thinks he has turned Channapatna into a paradise. He has nothing. In fact he is facing several criminal charges. Congress workers should take this up as a challenge and defeat him. The party will give a ticket to whoever you select,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that he would call Yogeeshwara on his betrayal to his face. “There is a function in Channapatna on December 12. Yogeeshwara will have to be invited as per protocol. I will reiterate these things in front of him that day also,” he said.
Siddaramaiah also said that the Congress would not form a truck with the JD(S).