Shobha Karandlaje targets Siddu with ‘wear bangles’ jibe, triggers new row

Hubballi: Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shobha Karandlaje set off a row on Thursday by advising former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to wear bangles if he was not able to keep his Congress legislators in check.

Ms Karandlaje, who was speaking to reporters here, argued it was Mr Siddaramaiah's responsibility to keep his flock together as head of the co-ordination committee of the government. So if his loyalists were giving statements backing him for the post of Chief Minister, it was because he was asking them to, she alleged.

“He is only trying to blackmail the Congress high command by saying that he will not contest the next election. People will give him a fitting reply in the elections for his charges against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP state president, Yeddyurappa. He should placate his legislators first instead of blaming the BJP. Otherwise, he should wear bangles,” she said with sarcasm.

Recalling Mr Siddaramaiah comparing himself to the late Chief Minister, Devaraj Urs, she claimed he was only trying to feed his ambition of becoming CM again although he had no moral right to compare himself to a man of Urs’ stature.

Ms Karandlaje also alleged that minister, D K Shivakumar had been put in charge of the Kundagol byelection as he was the moneybags of the party.

Responding to her “bangles” jibe at Mr Siddaramaiah, former minister Umashree strongly objected to such language being used against a former Chief Minister of the state. Advising the BJP leader to take a lesson in “political culture” she said, “Shobha Karandlaje should be trained in political culture by the organisation (RSS) that prepared her (for politics) or she will harm her public image.”

Water resources minister, D K Shivakumar too quipped, “Let my sister Shobha Karandlaje send us bangles. We will happily wear them.”