As the campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls gains traction, so has the vitriol and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Deve Gowda were engaged in a war of words here on Wednesday.
At one of the meetings to finetune the campaign strategy and boost the morale of the rank and file, Mr. Siddaramaiah instructed Congress workers in Chamundeshwari Assembly segment to ensure that the party secures a good lead over their rival from the BJP. He said though Mr. Deve Gowda has won from the Assembly segment, there was nothing much to show by way of development and this should be highlighted to the voters.
Addressing the party workers, Mr. Siddaramaiah said they have to ensure that the Congress secures the maximum number of votes to prove that the voters have not deserted them. Incidentally, Congress had allied with the JD(S) in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections but the latter did not campaign for the Congress candidate and all JD(S) votes went to the BJP.
There is a strong perception that Mr. Siddaramaiah was still smarting from the defeat inflicted on him by Mr. Gowda from Chamundeshwari in 2018 when he trounced the former by a margin of over 36,000 votes. Mr. Siddaramaiah is keen to convert the Vokkaliga votes in the Assembly segment to the Congress in a bid to reduce the influence and clout of Mr. Deve Gowda in the constituency.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said if voters are convinced that G.T. Deve Gowda has not undertaken any development projects, it will not be difficult to defeat the partners in alliance.
As details of Mr. Siddaramaiah’s remarks in the meeting emerged, an enraged Mr. Gowda hit out at the CM and challenged him on the development issues. Besides, Mr. Gowda accused Mr. Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra of working as a ‘’commission agent’’ in Chamundeshwari segment. “All contractors have to pay commission to Mr. Yathindra and this government is a 60% commission government,” Mr. Gowda alleged and claimed that Mr. Siddaramaiah may cease to be the Chief Minister once the election results are out.
