Modi calls Kumaraswamy a clerk, CM dismisses it as a blatant lie

Bengaluru, Jan 13: Calling it a “blatant lie”, chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday refuted the allegation levelled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said the KarnatakaCM worked like a clerk in the JD(S)-Congress coalition government.

“I am amused to see Modi reacting to a statement which I never made. After the farmer loan waiver scheme, this is the second time that he’s reacting to false information/statement. Such statements won’t deter our coalition government from the development agenda,’’ tweeted Kumaraswamy soon after Modi took a jibe at his government while addressing the BJP’s national executive meet in New Delhi.

Warning the nation against a possible mahagathbandhan rule post the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Modi said the proposed coalition would be an epitome of misgovernance and cited the example of Karnataka. “Only a few months into power, Kumaraswamy is already burdened by the Congress and has been reduced to a clerk,” Modi said, quoting reports in a section of media, which had claimed that Kumaraswamy got emotional while addressing the JD(S) Legislature Party meeting and said he was working like a clerk.

In Hubballi, coordination committee chairman and former CM Siddaramaiah said Modi is trying to create differences between the Congress and JD(S). “Whatever Kumaraswamy may have said, it was an internal matter of both the ruling parties. It is none of his (Modi’s) business. He should stop resorting to such cheap tactics and focus on work,” Siddaramaiah added.

Former PM and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda responded diplomatically: “What else can you expect from Modi?”

This is the second time the PM has hurled a barb at the JD(S)-Congress government. Last month, he had attacked the two parties at a rally in Uttar Pradesh, saying they made tall promises to farmers on waiving loans but were offering them “lollipops”. Modi alleged that lakhs of farmers in Karnataka were promised loan waivers but the government gave relief to only about 800, terming the Congress-JD(S) scheme a “cruel joke on farmers”.

Kumarswamy had hit out at Modi, saying his remarks were “factually incorrect” since it was not 800 but about 60,000 farmers who have benefited. He had also said that despite making repeated requests, the Centre did not come to the rescue of farmers and the PM was “demeaning” the state government for political gain.

Box: Tirade against Siddaramaiah in 2018

Ahead of the Karnataka assembly polls in May last year, PM Modi had taken a dig at then chief minister Siddaramaiah using different slogans. “Does Karnataka need a commission sarkar or a mission sarkar,” Modi had asked, launching an attack on Siddaramaiah in his home turf Mysuru. He had also called the Siddaramaiah government a ‘10 per cent commission government’ and ‘seedha rupaiya sarkar’.

Addressing a rally in Bengaluru, the PM had criticized the law and order situation under Siddaramaiah and said: “Our government is making efforts for the ease of doing business and talking about ease of living. But when it comes to the Congress government in Karnataka, there are discussions regarding ease of doing murders.”

Political experts say Modi is targeting the Congress-JD(S) government to shape a new narrative for his 2019 campaign. “Karnataka is a critical state for Modi to retain 270+ and hence, an onslaught against the JD(S)-Congress combine becomes vital. Further, the Karnataka experiment is seen as a model of a national anti-BJP coalition. Thus, picking holes in both its legitimacy and functioning is crucial for the BJP and its leadership,’’ said Sandeep Shastri, a political analyst.