‘Modi morally unfit for PM’S post’
Siddaramaiah accuses BJP of running govt of looters when in power, says PM lying about law and order
BENGALURU: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday called PM Narendra Modi “morally unfit” to hold the post after he accused the Congress government in the poll-bound state of supporting corruption.
Siddaramaiah’s riposte came after Modi said in a rally on Sunday that Karnataka has a “10% commission government” and promised that the BJP would root out corruption if voted to power in elections scheduled this May.
“Even if Modi makes 100 visits to the state or (BJP chief) Amit Shah engineers communal riots, we will win the upcoming state elections,” Siddaramaiah said.
He accused Modi of having supported and facilitated corruption by failing to set up a Lokpal in the past four years, and by not naming a Lokayukta for nine years when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. “He did not speak like the Prime Minister of this country,” Siddaramaiah said. “According to me, he is morally unfit to be the Prime Minister,” he said.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP in Karnataka ran a government of looters. “The Lokayukta had given reports about how much ill-gotten wealth had been generated through illegal mining,” he said.
“[Former CM BS] Yeddyurappa was sitting next to him when he accused us of corruption. There is nothing more shameful than this,” he said. “There is nothing more shameful than the PM of 1.3 billion people stooping to Yeddyurappa’s level.”
Siddaramaiah questioned Modi’s understanding of the Constitution, saying he and Shah were unaware of the difference between a state’s share from taxes and grants given by the Union government. This was in response to the BJP repeatedly pointing out that the state had received ₹3 lakh crore.
“Where do the central government’s taxes come from? It is collected from states,” Siddaramaiah said. “Karnataka contributes 9% of the total taxes collected in the nation, which is the third highest. But we get only 4.65% from the Centre,” he said, asking the BJP about this discrepancy.
Siddaramaiah criticised Modi for failing to speak about farmers’ problems at the rally. “Farmers were hoping he would speak about their distress, that he would say he will intervene in the Mahadayi water-sharing dispute, but he did not,” he said.
Siddaramaiah accused Modi of lying about the state’s law and order. “
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, Karnataka accounts for only 5% of the total crimes in the country. Bjpruled states Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are way ahead,” he said.
Reacting to the comments, the BJP said the state government appears rattled by the support Modi received. “PM Modi won the mandate of the people and the whole world respects him. Such politically motivated statements are being made because Siddaramaiah is desperate as he knows he will lose,” said Union minister DV Sadananda Gowda.