Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Apr 9: Coming down heavily on chief minister Siddaramaiah for questioning the secular credentials of Janata Dal (Secular), party state chief H D Kumaraswamy hit back with an open letter stating, 'dividing dharma and communities is Siddaramaiah’s definition of secularism'.

Rahul Gandhi during his state visit had said the 'S' in JD(S) stood for Sangh Parivar.

"I do not need lessons on secularism from a person like you (Siddaramaiah), who has divided people for votes," he said.

Kumaraswamy accused that Congress was hoping to gain the Muslim and minority votes with rumours that JD(S) has liaisons with BJP. In a matter of fact, Siddaramaiah had recently told people that a vote for JD(S) would ensure BJP’s victory. However, a vote for JD(S) would defeat Congress, Kumaraswamy stressed.

"Your frequent statements on defeating me in Ramanagaram smacks of revenge politics that you have cultivated to defeat others to grow in your life. For example, KPCC president G Parameshwara. I’m not Parameshwara to lose," he said.

Kumaraswamy advised Siddaramaiah to worry about his fate in Chamundeshwari, before underestimating other parties. This was in response to CM’s statement that JD(S) won’t win more than 25 seats.

With inputs from agencies