Mission-150 impossible: Siddaramaiah

Terming Bharatiya Janata Party’s Mission-150 an impossible move, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that the party won’t get beyond 50 seats in the next Assembly election. He was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the Mini Vidhana Soudha building at Aland town in Kalaburagi district on Sunday. Targeting BJP national president Amit Shah, the CM said, “Why did they fail in adopting the same strategy in the Punjab, Goa and Manipur Assembly elections?” He added, “He (Mr. Shah) can adopt criminal strategies or raid someone’s house but these strategies will not find success in the State as the people here believe in Basavanna, Kanaka Das and Kuvempu, not in communal or divisive forces. Where are B.S. Yeddyurappa, Jagadish Shettar and Sadananda Gowda? Why can’t they force Prime Minister Narendra Modi to waive farm loans,” the CM demanded. He said that the State government, as promised, had already waived ₹50,000 loan of each farmer. Around 22 lakh farmers had been extended benefits and around ₹8,100 crore of loan had been waived. Mr. Siddaramaiah listed programmes such as Anna Bhagya, Ksheera Bhagya, Krishi Baghya, Maitri, Manaswini and others, implemented by the State government, saying, “The people of Karnataka will not forget those who gave them water and food. Hence, they surely bless us again.” The CM also inaugurated several development programmes at the cost of ₹101.58 crore. He said that B.R. Patil, who was elected on a KJP ticket and recently joined the Congress, had every chance of winning in the next election as he had undertaken several development works. This was why the Mini Vidhana Soudha was sanctioned here, he added.