Surjewala visit meant to oust Karnataka CM: BJP

The Karnataka BJP on Wednesday claimed that Congress General Secretary and state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala's visit was meant to lay the groundwork for removing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra alleged that Surjewala was holding meetings with Congress MLAs to gauge support for a leadership change, signalling a deepening internal rivalry.

Speaking at the BJP headquarters in Bengaluru, Vijayendra pointed out that Congress MLAs like Iqbal Ansari, B.R. Patil, and Raju Kage have openly criticised Siddaramaiah, showing the CM has lost the trust of his own party. He urged the Governor to monitor potential political horse-trading.

Vijayendra also condemned Siddaramaiah’s comment linking COVID-19 vaccines to recent deaths in Hassan, calling it irresponsible. He demanded a proper investigation and immediate steps to ensure medicines are available in all districts.

Taking aim at Minister Priyank Kharge’s statement about banning the RSS, Vijayendra mocked it as a pauper’s daydream, saying not even Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi expect the party to return to power at the Centre. He also noted that Nehru had once recognised the RSS’s help during the India-China war.

Vijayendra praised the Karnataka High Court’s decision to transfer the Valmiki Corporation scam probe to the CBI, calling it a major win for BJP’s anti-corruption stand. He alleged that pressure from BJP forced the CM to drop Minister B. Nagendra from the Cabinet, but added that Siddaramaiah is now trying to reinstate him despite his alleged role in the scam.

He concluded by saying the Congress government is in disarray, focused more on internal power struggles than development or addressing farmers’ issues.