Hubballi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was in Badami on Saturday for the first time to campaign since filing his nomination from the constituency, promised a special package for its development if he returned to power in the state.
Telling the people they would earn fame if they elected a Chief Ministerial candidate like him, he claimed his opponent, B. Sriramulu of the BJP was not a heavyweight. “The Congress will come to power in the state by a huge margin and I will become Chief Minister again,” he declared.
Reacting to charges made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Mahadayi dispute at a rally in Gadag, the Chief Minister recalled that he had not responded to three of his letters on the issue. “BJP leaders are blackmailing the people of Karnataka by saying that the party will resolve the issue if it comes to power. The Prime Minister has the power to resolve the Mahadayi dispute even today. But he did not bother to convene a meeting of the states involved despite Karnataka taking a delegation to him on the issue. He has done injustice to Kannadigas,” Mr Siddaramaiah declared.
The Chief Minister, who did a whirlwind tour of the constituency on Saturday to woo voters, visited the Shivayogi Mandir, the power centre of the Veerashaiva seers, who are against the demand for a separate religion tag for Lingayats. While he was clearly trying to reach out to them, the head of the mutt, Sanganabasava Swamiji, who has been sprearheading the campaign against the demand for a minority tag for Lingayats, did not meet him. Instead, the Chief Minister was felicitated by the junior seers.
