Davanagere (Karnataka), April 2 (IANS) Reacting to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s remark likening BJP leaders to “stray bulls”, senior BJP leader and former minister B. Sriramulu on Thursday launched a sharp counterattack, saying that if BJP leaders are like bulls, then Congress leaders are like rodents.

He added that Siddaramaiah is surrounded by such people who have lost public trust.

Sriramulu said that the Congress has begun to fear defeat in the by-elections to the Davanagere South and Bagalkot Assembly constituencies.

Addressing a press conference in Davanagere, he said, “We thank him for comparing us to cows. Cattle eat only as much as they need and return home. But ministers in Siddaramaiah’s government are looting the state treasury and have amassed wealth sufficient for five to ten generations.”

He alleged large-scale corruption in various corporations, including the Valmiki Development Corporation and Scheduled Caste corporations, and claimed that the funds were diverted for elections in other states and the Lok Sabha polls.

Sriramulu further alleged that the government led by Siddaramaiah was built on falsehoods. He referred to the chief minister’s claim that BJP victories in Bagalkot and Davanagere would lead to the discontinuation of guarantee schemes.

“It is the Congress government that is in power in Karnataka, not the BJP. If the guarantees are to be stopped, it is they who must do it,” he said.

Accusing the Congress of underestimating voters, he said, “They always believed people are naive, but now they have realised that they are losing in both constituencies. We are all working unitedly for BJP candidate Srinivas Das Kariyappa in the South constituency, and this has created fear among the Congress.”

He also claimed that Siddaramaiah has begun to fear Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and the BJP following the announcement of the by-elections.

Referring to the 2018 Assembly elections, Sriramulu said there had been a demand to make Dalit leader G. Parameshwara the Chief Minister, but Siddaramaiah ensured his defeat. “Times have changed now. He invokes AHINDA only for his benefit. When it comes to sharing power, AHINDA is forgotten, and positions are given only to select individuals,” he alleged.

Sriramulu further said that during campaign speeches, Siddaramaiah has little to offer beyond criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Everyone knows that this government has done nothing. The Congress government in the state is in an ICU condition and is surviving on the ventilator of lies. If that ventilator is removed, the government will collapse,” he said.

He also questioned the CM’s absence from key meetings such as those of NITI Aayog and the GST Council. “What moral authority does he have to criticise Prime Minister Modi?” he asked.

Expressing confidence in the BJP’s prospects, Sriramulu said that Srinivas Das Kariyappa would win in Davanagere South and that party leaders are working together to secure victory.

Responding to a question, he alleged that Siddaramaiah has burdened every individual in the state, including future generations, with a debt of Rs 1.5 lakh. “All chief ministers have taken loans, but none as much as him,” he claimed.

–IANS

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