Targeting Prasad: Has Siddaramaiah gone too far?

Bengaluru: Pushed into a tight corner after his friend-turned-foe and influential Dalit leader of Old-Mysuru region, V. Srinivas Prasad threw a challenge to  contest elections against him, Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah  on Wednesday stooped to a new low addressing the veteran leader in the singular.

Unlike English, Indian languages including Hindi and Kannada have different words for ‘you’  and different connotations attached to them. In public discourse, leaders occupying high offices do not use ninu,instead of nivu.

While Mr Siddarmaiah has cleverly tried to portray the bypoll battle at Nanjangud as one between the Congress party and Mr Prasad, the latter is queering the pitch  by projecting the battle as one between Mr Siddaramaiah and himself. Mr Siddaramaiah has already said he would never contest against Mr Prasad.

Addressing a press conference after inducting JD(S) leader from Nanjangud, Kalale Srinivasamurthy into the party, Mr Siddaramaiah in the local Mysuru lingo addressed Mr Prasad, as "Avanu and Ivanu" and used many such  words in the singular during his attack on the Dalit leader. He however  attracted a huge round of applause from Mr Murthy’s supporters who had accompanied their leader to the press conference.

Mr Siddarmaiah sarcastically charged that Mr Prasad was someone who enjoyed every bit of power in the Congress for the last three years and suddenly realised that the party was a misfit for him. "Avanu allella helkondu odadta iddane nanninda Siddarmaiaha geddiddu anta, nanu-ivanu Congressge barokinta munche ivanu bandu nannanna gellisdnanta? Nanu electongalalli geddu iddini sootu iddini yella ivanidane aadange helta iddane yen madokagutte janarige ivella gottillava? (He is going on campaigning that he was responsible for my victory in elections. Did he ensure my victory when I was in a different party? I have been winning and losing elections, where was he when I won and lost elections? Isn't the electorate aware of this fact?)," he said caustically without taking Mr Prasad's name.

He also went to great lengths to stress that the by-poll in Nanjangud should not be considered a battle between him and Mr Prasad.  " How can it be? It is an election between the Congress nominee and Mr Prasad and hence it is not a battle with me."  

He added that when Mr Murthy approached him after Mr Prasad left the Congress  expressing his desire to join the party, he called AICC general secretary, Digvijay Singh and  left the decision to them. The high command approved  Murthy's induction. "Now an army of workers of  JD(S) and Congress will march to victory in Nanjangud," he said.