BJP doesn’t have any work other than trying to tarnish CM’s image, claims Boseraju

N.S. Boseraju criticizes BJP leaders for targeting Siddaramaiah, accuses them of diverting attention from real issues.

Taking serious exceptions to BJP leaders repeatedly raising the issue of allotment of residential sites to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife by Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA), Minor Irrigation and Science and Technology Minister N.S. Boseraju has said that BJP leaders did not have any serious issues to raise other than attempting to tarnish Mr. Siddaramaiah’s image.

“BJP leaders in Karnataka don’t have any work. They don’t want to raise the problems that the people are facing. They don’t want to raise the issue of the Union government’s stepmotherly treatment to Karnataka. Their only mission is to tarnish the image of the Chief Minister and topple the Congress government. They want to divert the people’s attention from the real issues,” Mr. Boseraju told media representatives in Raichur after participating in a World Tourism Day event on Friday.

Asked about the State Cabinet’s decision to withdraw the general consent given to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe into cases in the State, Mr. Boseraju defended it stating that the decision will prevent the Union government from misusing the Central investigation agency against the Opposition.

“We all know how the Union government is misusing Central investigating agencies such as the CBI and the Directorate of Enforcement to curtail the Opposition in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are known to misuse these agencies to suppress the Opposition parties. Now, we have decided to withdraw blanket approval to the CBI to probe into cases in the State just to ensure that the power of the CBI is not misused by the Centre,” Mr. Boseraju said.

To a question, the Minister claimed that the Cabinet decision has nothing to do with the MUDA case involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

“We have all seen the Centre interfering in all minor cases [through the CBI]. The Governor is asking for clarifications and details of even minor cases every day. The Congress was in power for over 55 years at the Centre and it never resorted to such things. The Union government under Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah is misusing the offices of Governors in many States, including in Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. We [the Congress] have power in Karnataka and are exercising our power. The Cabinet decision has nothing to do with the MUDA site allotment case involving Mr. Siddaramaiah,” Mr. Boseraju claimed.

Asked about the BJP’s collective attack on Mr. Siddaramaiah, Mr. Boseraju said that the BJP unit in the State is divided into four factions and each faction is trying to impress the party’s high command by unleashing an attack on the Chief Minister.