In the end ‘corruption’ wins: BJP on Cong’s Karnataka decision

PTI, May 18, 2023, 5:09 PM IST

The BJP on Thursday accused the Congress of ignoring sub-regional aspirations and prominent communities with its choice of Siddaramaiah as the new Karnataka chief minister and DK Shivakumar as his deputy and alleged that corruption has won.

BJP I-T department head Amil Malviya also claimed that For the first time there will be no representation from the all-powerful Lingayat community or the SCs.

”For the first time, Karnataka will have a government that doesn’t represent either sub-regional aspirations or for that matter prominent communities. Both CM designate Siddaramaiah and to be Deputy CM DKS come from south Karnataka. For the first time there will be no representation from the all-powerful Lingayat community or the SCs,” he tweeted.

He alleged that the Congress has ”intentionally” left out M B Patil, a Lingayat, and G Parameshwara, a Dalit, and said they could have been made deputy chief ministers. The Congress is hell-bent on humiliating both these senior leaders and their communities, he said.

Malviya alleged, ”In the end, corruption wins. As the only DCM and moneybag, DKS will run the show, control most of the ministerial appointments and reduce Karnataka to an ATM, just to please the Gandhis in Delhi. Siddaramaiah will be reduced to being a placeholder CM, whose last term, to put it mildly, was nothing short of a disaster.” Ending days of suspense, the Congress on Thursday announced Siddaramaiah as the next chief minister of Karnataka and PCC president D K Shivakumar as his only deputy.

The two leaders, who were in a tight race for the top post, would take oath along with other ministers on May 20 and leaders of all like-minded parties will be invited for the swearing-in ceremony.