From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Kudalasangama/Bagalkot, Apr 23: In his first public engagement after vacating his official bungalow, which was allotted to him by virtue of being a Congress MP, and ordered to leave following his disqualification over the "Modi thieves" remark, Rahul Gandhi participated in the Basava Jayanti programme at Kudalasangama on Sunday. He also attended the Annadasoha along with other devotees as part of the Congress party’s Lingayat community outreach efforts.
Siddaramaiah, Congress opposition leader in the assembly, accompanied the former Congress Chief.
Later on Sunday and Monday, Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to tour the Lingayat community-dominated Bagalkote and Vijayapur districts. He is also set to hold a roadshow at Vijayapur in the evening.
In a statement to the media, Siddaramaiah attacked the ruling BJP for trying to project him as anti-Lingayat by twisting his statement criticizing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai as one of the most corrupt chief ministers in the state.
"I have never said all Lingayats are corrupt. I had criticized the 40% commission charge against the Bommai regime and had even quoted the statements of several prominent BJP leaders," he clarified.
Siddaramaiah said that there were several honest, upright, and non-corrupt politicians from the Lingayat community like Veerendra Patil, S Naijalingappa, and J H Patel. "But the Bommai regime is the most corrupt, with the State Contractors Association directly writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the 40% corruption charge and another minister accused by a contractor for demanding 40% commission before committing suicide," he added.
The Congress leader said that because of the Congress party’s respect and love for the Lingayat community, 53 candidates from the community were given tickets this time against 47 in the 2018 elections.
"However, the Congress legislature party will elect the person for the chief minister’s post, and the party high command will approve the choice. Congress does not believe in electing persons to posts based only on the caste criterion," he concluded.