JD(S) tears into Siddaramaiah-led govt with 15-point charge sheet

Bengaluru, Apr 30: The JD(S) on Sunday released a 15-point charge sheet against the Congress, with party president H D Kumaraswamy launching a sharp attack against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for indulging in “devious” and “divisive” politics.

Demanding that Siddaramaiah stop targeting his political opponent and fight a ‘clean and fair’ elections, Kumaraswamy raised several questions about the Congress’ conduct in the last five years.

Though the ruling party has tried to camouflage its wrongdoings by misusing the state power, the JD(S) would expose the party’s misdeeds through the charge sheet, he said.

Questioning the Congress’s secular credentials, Kumaraswamy said that the party’s intent had been revealed after it decided to split the Lingayat community. Calling out the Congress’ “appeasement” politics, Kumaraswamy charged that the party continued to use the Muslim community merely as a vote bank.

The party had also failed to protect proponents of secularism like M M Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh, he said.

The Congress had not only rendered the Lokayukta toothless to safeguard its own interests, but had also not ensured the safety of Lokayukta Justice Vishwanath Shetty, he added.

Attacking Siddaramaiah for “dividing” the JD(S), Kumaraswamy charged that the Congress leader had poached the regional party MLAs to further his politics. The chief minister had also resorted to misusing the Speaker’s office.

With leaders like K C Venugopal, who is accused of rape, at the forefront of party affairs, the party has no moral right to insist that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should speak up on the Kathua and Unnao rape cases, he said.

Kumaraswamy said that the party’s intent to siphon off money to the Congress high command had become apparent through the controversial steel bridge project and the discovery of suspicious entries in MLC Govindaraju’s diary. 

The charge sheet also highlighted hooliganism by party leaders like Hungund MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar, minister Vinay Kulkarni, Mohammed Nalapad Haris and Siddaramaiah’s close aides like MLA Byrathi Basavaraj.