The chief minister was speaking at an event organised by the state Congress to commemorate first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's death anniversary.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah (Facebook)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday, 27 May, took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his reported ‘God sent’ comment and wondered whether he was the divine incarnation.
He also asserted that claims of turning this country that is so diverse, into a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ was not possible. The chief minister was speaking at an event organised by the state Congress to commemorate first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s death anniversary
“Narendra Modi now says he was sent by god. Look at the irony. He says — god has sent me to make Viksit Bharat by 2047. Is he the incarnation of god?,” Siddaramaiah asked.
He said, “Not even a single day, he launched any programmes aimed at the poor, Dalits, backward classes, minorities, and unemployed. There should be equality among all and equal opportunity for all… has he taken efforts to achieve it?”
“Fully aware of their (BJP/NDA) defeat, Narendra Modi is uttering whatever comes out of his mouth. He is doing it intentionally for the sake of votes by dividing Hindus and Muslims. He is doing it for polarisation of votes,” the chief minister said.
While speaking to the media, he says he stands for all people, but during election rallies he uses hate speech against Muslims,” Siddaramaiah added.
The CM’s remark come in the wake of PM Modi’s interview to a national news channel in which he reportedly said that he was not born biologically but sent by god.
Claiming that the BJP doesn’t believe in pluralism, Siddaramaiah said that India was a country that represents pluralism with multiple religions, castes, and languages.
“In a country that is so diverse, autocracy, and statements like we will make this a Hindu Rashtra is a dream talk. It is not possible in this country, one has to clearly understand this,” he added.
Crediting Nehru for establishing democracy in the country, setting up several public sector industries and educational institutions, and building big dams, Siddaramaiah asked whether PM Modi, who claims that Congress did nothing for India, has constructed at least one dam, or established a public sector industry in 10 years.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah is scheduled to leave for New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss with the Congress high command the names of candidates for the biennial election to 11 seats of Legislative Council to be elected by the Members of Legislative Assembly on 13 June.
Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President DK Shivakumar is also likely to join him for the discussions.
As per the existing strength of parties in the Assembly, the Congress can win seven, BJP three, and JD(S) one seat. The process for filing of nomination has already begun, and will continue till 3 June.
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
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