Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has hit back at Janata Dal (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda a day after the latter said that the former should suffer “garvabhanga” (broken pride) with a victory of BJP-JD(S) alliance in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar seats.
Giving the political repartee the edge of regional pride, Mr. Siddaramaiah said: “JD(S) leader H.D. Deve Gowda has vowed to break my pride. But mine is neither pride nor arrogance. This is the innate self-esteem of Kannadigas that rises strong and determined in safeguarding Kannada, its people, and Karnataka. I humbly draw Mr. Gowda’s attention to this fact.”
Mr. Siddaramaiah went on to say that despite his political differences with Mr. Gowda, he respected his stance on protecting land, water, and language.
“However, in the last 10 years, the BJP government under Narendra Modi has consistently acted against Karnataka’s interests, opposing our State flag, imposing Hindi, and being unfair in the Cauvery, Krishna, and Mahadayi water disputes, and deceiving Kannadiga youth in Central institutions. Despite these betrayals to Karnataka, when you claimed that Modi and Shah have the solutions to all of India’s problems, didn’t it prick your conscience?” he asked.
Referring to several State-Centre issues raised by him earlier, including devolution of taxes, he said while several southern States had questioned it, the regional party — JD(S) — in Karnataka had “betrayed Kannadigas by compromising with the opponents of our land, water, and language.”
Mr. Gowda, who has always championed regional causes and questioned the dominance of the Centre throughout his political career, seems to have compromised politically in his later years, Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
“Whoever may have influenced this change, the fact remains that Mr. Gowda, by aligning with the BJP for mere political gain, has let down over six-and-a-half crore Kannadigas,” he said.
