K’taka: Vijayendra hits out at Cong over alliance remarks, questions party’s ‘moral authority’
Bengaluru: Responding to Congress criticism that the BJP’s reported decision not to consider former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s candidature for the Rajya Sabha amounted to an insult to the people of Karnataka, state unit BJP state president and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra on Monday strongly criticised AICC General Secretary and Karnataka Congress in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and the grand old party over their remarks on alliance politics and the BJP-JD(S) arrangement, questioning the Congress leadership’s “moral authority” to comment on such matters.
Vijayendra said the Congress had no credibility to speak on alliance dynamics, alleging that the party had itself celebrated the defeat of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi despite being part of an alliance arrangement. He claimed that celebrations at the Congress headquarters were, in some instances, more enthusiastic than those at BJP offices.
He further alleged that the Congress had changed political alignments from the DMK to the TVK overnight in order to secure ministerial positions, and accused the party of inconsistent alliance behaviour.
Referring to the INDIA bloc, Vijayendra said the alliance was named “INDIA” despite what he termed a history of divisive politics within the Congress, adding that its allies should have been aware of the party’s conduct.
On former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Vijayendra said the most authentic account of his treatment should come from Deve Gowda himself, and urged Surjewala to read the former Prime Minister’s open letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge regarding his experience and the Congress party’s conduct towards him and the JD(S).
He also referred to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, stating that Congress leaders themselves had provided detailed accounts of events on the ground, including statements attributed to MLA Rajanna, which he said explained the circumstances under which Deve Gowda lost the election.
Vijayendra further advised Surjewala to study the Congress party’s history in Karnataka, alleging that senior leaders such as former Chief Ministers Devaraj Urs and Veerendra Patil had been mistreated in the past.
He also criticised the Congress government in Karnataka, stating that instead of commenting on the NDA’s Rajya Sabha nominations, the party should focus on internal disputes over Cabinet positions and portfolios. He alleged that such infighting was affecting governance in the state.
It may be recalled that Congress General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Monday criticised the BJP and JD(S) leadership over the reported denial of a Rajya Sabha nomination to former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, calling the development politically “astonishing and eye-opening”.
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy earlier in the day hit out at Congress leaders over their remarks on the reported denial of a Rajya Sabha nomination to former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and termed AICC General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala a “wasooliwala”.