Kumaraswamy dares Siddaramaiah to quit Congress, win 5 seats independently

Kumaraswamy challenges Siddaramaiah to leave Congress and prove his political strength by winning five seats independently.

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday launched a blistering attack on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, challenging him to quit the Congress party and prove his political strength by forming a new party and winning at least five Assembly seats.

Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Kumaraswamy questioned Mr. Siddaramaiah’s moral authority to criticise “family politics”, alleging that the Chief Minister himself had promoted his son in public life. “Before targeting us, he (Mr. Siddaramaiah) must answer these questions. Does he have the ethical standing to speak on dynastic politics?” he asked.

Accusing Mr. Siddaramaiah of hypocrisy, Mr. Kumaraswamy said that while the CM projects himself as a champion of ‘AHINDA’, he should demonstrate his mass base independently. “Let him step out of the Congress and win five seats on his own strength,” he challenged.

The Union Minister also revisited political developments in the past, asserting that the electoral success of the erstwhile Janata Dal could not be attributed to Mr. Siddaramaiah alone. He credited former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda for the party’s performance and recalled that several leaders, including Mr. Siddaramaiah, had suffered defeat in the 1999 elections.

Alleging betrayal, Mr. Kumaraswamy said Mr. Siddaramaiah distanced himself from the Janata Dal after forming ‘AHINDA’, thereby weakening the party.

He also criticised the Congress for its reliance on regional allies, pointing to Tamil Nadu, where, he claimed, the party struggles to field candidates without support from the DMK.