The Hindu
SOMWARPET (KODAGU), Apr 26: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah said on Saturday that there would be no Third Front or Fourth Front in the country after the announcement of Lok Sabha election results on May 16.
He was addressing an election rally here. Only the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would remain after the elections, Siddaramaiah said.
If the NDA assumed power, the nation would be divided on the communal lines. Only the Congress was capable of running the country efficiently, he claimed. Criticising the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani for terming Manmohan Singh a weak Prime Minister, Siddaramaiah sought to know how could Advani as Home Minister swap terrorists for release of passengers of the hijacked plane at Kandahar in Afghanistan. Who led the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992?
Criticising the Yeddyurappa Government in the State, he said Yeddyurappa had obtained loans up to Rs. 10,000 crore to run the administration. Corruption was the only “development” that was taking place in the State under the BJP regime, Siddaramaiah said. The Government was mopping up money in the form of transfers of police officials, renewal of licence of liquor shops and bars, he alleged. The Hindutva proposed by the BJP was to divide the people whereas the Hindutva of the Congress was to unite them based on the principles espoused by Mahatma Gandhi. Siddaramaiah criticised BJP leaders Ananth Kumar Hegde from Karwar, C.T. Ravi from Chikmaglur, Renukacharya from Honnali and Manohar Maski, MLC, for making “hate speeches” in a bid to divide society on the communal lines. The State Government would crash under its own weight after the elections or the Reddy “connection” would spell doom for Mr. Yeddyurappa, he said. Ridiculing Janata Dal (S) leader H.D. Deve Gowda, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that he would not have become Prime Minister without the help of Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav. Mr. Gowda would “destroy” all those who trusted him.
He was not bothered about party candidate’s win, but wanted to make his son Kumaraswamy, a Minister in the Union Cabinet, irrespective of the parties coming to power. The JD (S) was contesting 30 seats across the country, including 20 in Karnataka. With this, how could the JD (S) think of forming a Government at the Centre? C.M. Ibrahim, former Union Minister, took Mr. Advani to task for visiting Pakistan and eulogising Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Advani had no moral right to criticise Manmohan Singh. Ibrahim said that the State coffers were full when Siddaramaiah was the Finance Minister, but empty now. Corruption had been the hallmark of BJP administration in the State. The fight was between the Congress and the BJP in the Mysore-Kodagu constituency. Jivijaya, who had switched over to the JD (S), should retire from the race in favour of the Congress candidate, he said.
President of the Kodagu Congress Veena Achaiah presided over the meeting. Chairman of the Congress publicity campaign committee T. John, former Ministers M.M. Nanaiah, Suma Vasanth, H.M. Revanna, KPCC general secretary Mittu Chengappa, former MLC Arun Machaiah and local leaders Vinod Shivappa, M.G. Kuttappa, T.P. Ramesh, B.K. Krishna and K.P. Chandrakala were present.