Chikkamagaluru
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he resigned from the Chief Minister’s post because he had given his word to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, despite several people asking him not to step down. He said keeping a promise made in politics was more important to him than holding on to office.
Siddaramaiah said many people had advised him against resigning. However, he had already committed to stepping down and therefore honoured his word. He claimed that if there was a government that had kept its promises in politics, it was the Siddaramaiah government.
Siddaramaiah also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, questioning the promises made during the elections. Referring to slogans of “Modi, Modi” raised by people, he asked whether Modi had participated in the freedom struggle like freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna.
He questioned the BJP over several election promises, including the creation of two crore jobs, bringing “achhe din” to the country, doubling farmers’ income and bringing back black money. Siddaramaiah asked whether the promised Rs 15 lakh had been deposited into people’s accounts after black money was brought back.
He said Modi had been Prime Minister for nearly 12 years and questioned why people should vote for the BJP in parliamentary elections if the promises made earlier had not been fulfilled. According to Siddaramaiah, people were given misleading information and were taken in the wrong direction through unfulfilled assurances.
Siddaramaiah also took a sharp dig at BJP leader C.T. Ravi. Referring to Ravi’s reported remarks that the Chief Minister’s post was lost because the government had failed to provide the Gruha Lakshmi benefits, Siddaramaiah said he had resigned only after giving his word to Rahul Gandhi.
He maintained that although several people requested him not to resign, he chose to honour his commitment, describing it as an example of keeping one’s word in public life.