Bengaluru, Oct 23 (IANS) Reacting to Minister Priyank Kharge’s statement that the JD-S had ‘saffronised itself for the sake of power’, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H. D. Kumaraswamy claimed on Thursday that the Congress came to their “doorstep” for power.

“Didn’t they know before that I had formed the government with the BJP?” he said while speaking to the media in Bengaluru.

He also advised Kharge to stop “petty politics” and instead address the floods in his native Kalaburagi district.

“In 2018, Congress came to our doorstep for power. Let him ask his father what exactly happened back then and learn about it. Instead of indulging in politics in Bengaluru, let him focus on what is happening in his own district.”

He said that in the past he had criticised the RSS, but what have the Congress leaders themselves done?

“The people gave Congress 136 seats. Yet they do not listen to the problems of the people. In Kalaburagi, people are on the streets, and farmers are in distress. What have you done?” he said.

He claimed that his party does not beg for power from anyone, reiterating his claim that it is the Congress that comes to JD-S whenever they need power.

“Everyone knows who Congress backstabbed. Don’t you know whom they have removed from power and how many people’s political careers they have destroyed?” he claimed.

The Union Minister said that Charan Singh was not allowed to participate in the Parliament session. “How many leaders, including Chandrashekhar, were sacrificed? Their political careers were destroyed. Similarly, it was the Congress that destroyed Deve Gowda’s political future. Should I learn politics from such people?”

Responding in Bengaluru on the issue of the change of JD-S state president, he said that there is no discussion within the party about changing the state president. This matter has not come up for discussion.

On Yathindra Siddaramaiah’s statement on leadership change, he said that there is no need for us to discuss the developments in their party.

Speaking on the reconstitution of the core committee, he said: “Our party has already held a meeting on this. We have decided to form a committee for the party organisation regarding the core committee and the corporation elections. A decision will be taken in the coming days.”

Responding to CM Siddaramaiah’s statement that the Centre is not providing adequate grants to the state, Kumaraswamy said: “For 50 years, the Congress party alone ruled the country.

After independence, in all 28 constituencies, people elected only Congress MPs. At that time, there was a Congress government both at the Centre and in the state. What did those MPs bring then?” the Minister questioned.

“What did they bring when their party was in power at the centre and state? How much money did Karnataka get at that time? Which irrigation problems did they solve? What funds did they bring for development? Instead of discussing us, they should sit down and discuss these things themselves,” Kumaraswamy said.

–IANS

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