BANGALORE: With just 48-hours left for the bypolls for Mandya and Bangalore Rural LokSabha segments, the Congress launched multi-pronged attack on the JD(S) and its leaders.
Canvassing for Congress candidate D K Suresh chief minister Siddaramaiah, former external affairs minister SM Krishna and Union minister M Veerappa Moily and K H Muniyappa shared dais in Rajarajeshwarinagar on Sunday.
Reacting to Gowda’s statement that he was tortured by Krishna as CM, the former external affairs minister said if he really wanted to target Gowda, his administration would have ordered CBI probe into the alleged scam in the Upper Krishna Project (UKP). “The file on UKP scam that took place when Gowda was CM was before me. The House committee had strongly recommended for CBI probe. Had I wanted to torture Gowda, I could have ordered CBI probe into the allegations, but I declined,” Krishna said.
Referring to JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda’s statement that Congress did not make Union railway minister Mallikarjun M Kharge, a dalit as chief minister, Siddaramaiah retorted saying that former Prime minister could have made D Manjunath, a dalit as CM instead of his son H D Kumaraswamy in 2006. “Senior leader of JD(S) C Narayanaswamy could have been fielded as candidate in Bangalore rural, but Anitha was fielded as Gowda wanted to have family control on the constituency,” the CM attacked.
Maintaining that outcome of the bypoll will not be a referendum on the Siddaramaiah led government, KPCC chief G Parmeshwara in Mysore sought to know from Gowda whether the JD(S) will be a part of third front or BJP led NDA?”Gowda’s secular credentials stands exposed today with his party seeking the support of BJP in the by-polls,” he said.
