Power tussle tarnishing State’s reputation, says MLC Vishwanath

A.H. Vishwanath, MLC, launched a blistering attack on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday (November 22), accusing him of weakening both the Congress party and Karnataka’s democratic ethos through what he described as an unrelenting “fight for power”.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Vishwanath said the reputation of the State, once guided by statesmen such as D. Devaraj Urs, Ramakrishna Hegde and H.D. Deve Gowda, has hit a low given the infighting in the Congress for power.

He said the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress has sullied and tarnished the reputation of the State known for mature politics. Those claiming to defend democracy and the Constitution are destroying it, he added.

Mr. Vishwanath said Mr. Siddaramaiah owed his political revival entirely to the Congress, and recalled that he was expelled from the JD(S) before being given “refuge” by the Congress. “There are some leaders who say there is no Congress without Siddaramaiah but that is utter nonsense,’’ he added.

Urging Mr. Siddaramaiah not to backtrack on the promise to make D.K. Shivakumar the Chief Minister for 2.5 years in the second half of the five-year tenure, Mr. Vishwanath cautioned that the Chief Minister’s reputation would be hit if he failed to so, and he would be known as a ‘’betrayer’’.

In the ongoing political drama, it is the Congress which is getting weakened, he said. Mr. Siddaramaiah is destroying the very party which revived his political fortunes, made him Leader of the Opposition and twice the Chief Minister, said Mr. Vishwanath.

The MLC said there was nothing wrong in Mr. Shivakumar becoming the Chief Minister. “He is a true Congressman who has worked hard and invested in the organisation,” he added.

Taking potshots at Mr. Siddaramaiah’s flagship guarantee schemes, Mr. Vishwanath said they amounted to nothing and paled in comparison to the transformative reforms ushered in by Devaraj Urs. ‘’Generations of farmers who were once landless workers are enjoying the benefits of such policies,’’ said the MLC.

Mr. Vishwanath also targeted Mr. Siddaramaiah for “boasting” about his record of presenting 17 budgets and declaring he would lead the Congress in 2028. “People voted for the Congress, not Siddaramaiah, and he should display some humility,’’ he said.