Tumakuru: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Union Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, questioning his performance as Chief Minister and dismissing the political strength of the JD(S).
Addressing the “Sarthak Sevaya Samarpane” convention organised to mark three years of the Karnataka government, Shivakumar said, “He could not do much even when he was the Chief Minister. What change will happen now with just 17 MLAs?”
Shivakumar asserted that the Congress would return to power in Karnataka in the 2028 Assembly elections as well and asked BJP and JD(S) leaders to remember the people’s mandate in favour of the Congress.
He also criticised the BJP-led central government over rising fuel prices and inflation. “Petrol prices are increasing continuously, the value of the rupee is falling and people are suffering. But BJP leaders are silent on these issues,” he alleged.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the Congress government had introduced guarantee schemes to support people affected by inflation and declining incomes.
Expressing confidence about the party’s future prospects, Shivakumar said the Congress had earned the trust of the people by winning 136 seats in the Assembly elections and by implementing the promises made to voters.
Referring to the state government’s five guarantee schemes, he said the Congress welfare model introduced in Karnataka was now being replicated in several other states across the country.
