Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 2 : Karnataka BJP President and MLA BY Vijayendra on Wednesday alleged that senior Congress leader and AICC Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala has arrived in the state to prepare the groundwork for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's resignation.
Speaking at a press conference at the BJP state headquarters, Jagannath Bhavan, Vijayendra stated that Surjewala has camped in Karnataka and is unconcerned about the downfall of the "corrupt" state government. He alleged that Surjewala is gathering opinions from MLAs as the competition for the Chief Minister's chair intensifies, suggesting that horse trading is likely to pick up momentum.
"Ramanagara MLA Iqbal has claimed that DK Shivakumar enjoys the support of 100 MLAs and should be made the Chief Minister. Senior Congress MLAs like B.R. Patil and Raju Kage, among others, have issued statements against the current CM," he said.
Vijayendra claimed that Siddaramaiah has even lost the confidence of his own party legislators and urged the Governor to take note of the potential horse trading.
Responding to the Chief Minister's claim that 35-40 people in Hassan died of heart attacks due to the COVID vaccine, Vijayendra questioned whether vaccines were administered only in Hassan. He pointed out that crores across India and many other countries were vaccinated, and that the state government must seriously investigate the deaths in Hassan.
Calling the CM's statement irresponsible, he urged the government to convene emergency meetings and ensure proper medicine stockpiles at the taluk and district levels. He dismissed the CM's remarks as mere propaganda.
Referring to Minister Priyank Kharge's statement about banning the RSS, Vijayendra ridiculed it as "a thief's dream."
He said that even Priyank's father, Mallikarjun Kharge, doesn't believe the Congress will come to power at the Centre--nor do Sonia or Rahul Gandhi.
The RSS, he said, is a patriotic organisation. During the India-China war, even then-Prime Minister Nehru welcomed the RSS's role, allowing their participation in the Republic Day Parade. Indira and Nehru had banned RSS, but had to lift the ban, he noted. He labelled Priyank's remarks as ignorant and lacking a factual basis.
Describing the High Court's decision to hand over the Valmiki Corporation scam to the CBI as a major victory for the BJP's relentless struggle, Vijayendra welcomed the development. He said several big names will fall due to the probe.
He detailed that Rs 187 crore meant for the socio-economic and educational upliftment of Scheduled Tribes in Karnataka was misused in neighbouring Telangana through thousands of fraudulent bank accounts.
The money was allegedly spent in bars, jewellery shops, and even during the Lok Sabha elections. Officer Chandrashekhar, who died by suicide, had reportedly mentioned all these facts in his death note.
He said that due to the BJP's persistent pressure, the CM had no choice but to remove Minister Nagendra from the cabinet. However, the CM is now making every effort to bring him back. Vijayendra alleged that the CM himself was involved in the scam, which was well-known to the media. He claimed no funds could have been transferred out of state without approval from the Finance Department.
Vijayendra remarked that the situation in the state is deteriorating rapidly. "The administrative machinery has collapsed, and internal competition among Congress MLAs is growing, especially for the Chief Minister's position."
As a result, development work has completely stalled. He criticised the state government for failing to address farmers' problems.
He accused the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of rampant corruption and blamed it for the continual rise in prices of daily essentials, which has burdened the common man. He claimed that the administration is paralysed and officials are inactive.
Citing rising suicides among farmers, officials, and contractors, he described the Congress government as totally dysfunctional and added that even Congress legislators have admitted this.
Vijayendra highlighted recent incidents of threats to Hindu activists in Sindhanur and assaults on Sri Ram Sene workers in Sankeshwar. He also noted repeated incidents of cow slaughter in the state, accusing the government of remaining silent on these issues.
He said the "sins" of the government have reached their peak and that the people are cursing it. "Even God cannot help Siddaramaiah's government now," he declared.
He criticised the Home Minister for failing to take strict action and urged the government to focus attention on this matter.