The leader of the Opposition in the Assembly B S Yeddyurappa, while responding to Governor’s address to the joint session of the legislature, said that the state had two chief ministers, Siddaramaiah and H D Kumaraswamy.
Yeddyurappa during his remarks here on July 3 said, “People are confused as to who the chief minister is, Siddaramaiah or Kumaraswamy. One remote control is in Delhi (Congress high command), while the other remote control is in Padmanabhanagar that is at JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda’s house. Siddaramaiah says there is no need for a new budget. People are tired of this talk and they are cursing this government.”
“The Governor’s address to the joint session of the legislature is directionless and lacked vision,” he said adding that after the budget session concludes on July 12, all 104 BJP MLAs would take the JD(S) manifesto to the people and point out promises that Kumaraswamy failed to keep.
Taking on JD(S) for its poll promises, Yeddyurappa further said, “If it wasn’t for the tall promises you made, the JD(S) would have got only 25 seats. Let me see how you waive farm loans worth Rs 53,000 crore, provide monthly pension of Rs 6,000 to senior citizens, give Rs 6,000 for six months to pregnant women among other initiatives. Kumaraswamy must come out with a White Paper on the state’s finances before tabling the budget.”
He further said, “The government’s loans are at Rs 2.38 lac crore and I have credible information that irrigation, public works, and other key departments have Rs 10,000-crore pending bills. Siddaramaiah laid foundation stones for projects worth Rs 6,000 crore. Then there is the Sixth Pay Commission recommendation that will cost Rs 10,800 crore.”
“Kumaraswamy calls himself a child of circumstance. Such a child won’t have legitimate parentage. It won’t live long. Calling yourself a child of circumstance is the reflection of the guilt in your conscience,” he said.
Ayanuru Manjunath, BJP MLC in his remarks at the Council, mocked Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy and said, ” The driver moves the bus only when signaled by the conductor that all passengers have either boarded or alighted from the bus. Now, Kumaraswamy is in the driver’s seat and Siddaramaiah is in the conductor’s seat. But Siddaramaiah hasn’t given the signal. Hence, the BJP is stressing the fact that the government hasn’t taken off.”
JD(S) MLC T A Sharavana replied to Manjunath saying that the coalition government was not a bus but a ‘double engine’ train to which latter said, “That’s true. Kumaraswamy is now with the Congress. But when one of the engines fails, he may switch sides to the BJP. He has already met Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice.”
