Bengaluru :Asserting that there was noanti- incumbency against his government, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today expressed confidence that people will once againvote Congress back to power in the 2018 polls.
Normally for any government which completes four years, there would be anti-incumbency factor that would startworking against it, and most of the times, it has turned outto be true, he told reporters here.
“… But after completing four years, I can say that people of Karnataka still have confidence in mygovernment and there is no anti-incumbency against it,” he said at a “Meet the Press” organised by Press Club of Bangalore and the Reporters’ Guild here.
Chiding the BJP for not doing its bit in getting farm loanwaived by the Centre, he ridiculed the party’sclaim of winning over 150 seats in 2018 polls.
“People have decided, even if you perform somersault, Yeddyurappa’s claims of mission 150 won’t be achieved. Do you think mission 150 is in your pocket- for it to be so easy? It is people who will decide,” he said.
Siddaramaiah said the BJP is indulging in “self deception” and keeps away Muslims and Christians, while its national leaders advertise themselves with slogan “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”.
There was no honesty on their part in followingit, he said, adding “It is an act of self deception they are indulging in.”
Claiming that his government believed and followed “inclusive growth”, Siddaramaiah said it was clear on its path towards ensuring social justice.
He said his government had fulfilled 155 of the 165 promises made in the manifesto. The remaining would be done inthe next one-year period.
Questioning “achhe din” claims of the Narendra Modi-led government, Siddaramaiah said its only achievement was demonetisation of high value currency and the trouble it caused to the common man.
Responding to a question about senior party leaders who brought him to the Congress being unhappy about him, he said no Karnataka leader brought him to the party.
He said “… No one, they are only claiming. I’m revealing it today that no Karnataka Congress leader was behind myjoining Congress.”
He said had formed All India Progressive Janata Dal some years back and it did not performwell in local body polls.
“I knew Ahmed Patel, he asked me to join Congress and introduced me to Madam (Sonia Gandhi)…”, he said.
PTI