'Lies are BJP's household gods', says Siddaramaiah as K'taka Congress stages protest against Centre

Bengaluru, April 17 (IANS) Karnataka Congress on Thursday staged protest demonstrations against the Central government over the alleged price hike, in a move to counter the BJP’s Janakrosh Yatra, with the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claiming that lies are the BJP’s household ‘gods’.

The BJP has launched a state-wide Janakrosh Yatra against price hike and Muslim quota against the Congress government in the state.

The protest was organised at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru. Thousands of party workers gathered at the venue and raised slogans against the Central government and the BJP. The party had displayed garlanded LPG cylinders in front of the stage. The comparison chart of prices of essential commodities during the Congress-led UPA government’s term and the BJP’s term was prominently displayed.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister and Congress state chief D.K. Shivakumar, Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, cabinet ministers, and party MLAs took part in the protest. All leaders wore black bands and flashed placards against the Central government.

Addressing the gathering at the Freedom Park against the alleged Centre’s spree of price hikes, the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said: “Politics is not just about holding power. Standing with the people and fighting continuously with ideological clarity is true political commitment. Lies are the BJP’s household gods. RSS is the grand factory of lies.”

He further added that Ambedkar himself wrote that Veer Savarkar and Dhangey defeated him, not the Congress.

“Yet, the BJP spreads the false narrative that Congress was responsible. We must develop the courage to speak the truth across the country in response to the lies of the RSS, the factory of falsehoods,” he said.

He added that the Narendra Modi government is spreading false propaganda that our government is financially bankrupt to hide its anti-poor and anti-middle-class stance.

“If the government were bankrupt, would it be possible to allocate Rs 56,000 crore annually for guarantees?. We’ve increased the milk price by Rs 4, and that money goes directly to the farmers, not to the government. But the Central government has increased gas prices multiple times, and again by Rs 50 recently. Tell us, who is getting this extra money?” he said.

Minister for Medical Education Sharan Prakash Patil alleged that since the BJP came to power at the centre, the lives of common people have been affected severely.

“They have hiked the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG. That is why this protest is organised. There is no logic in hiking fuel prices at a time when the rates are low in the international market,” he said.

Siddaramaiah’s Legal Advisor and MLA A.S. Ponnanna said that the BJP is a master in giving names.

“Janakrosh is against the BJP, not against the ruling Congress party. The entire protest is against themselves,” he claimed.

He further claimed that the people’s anger is against the BJP and the Central government, and not against the Karnataka government.

--IANS

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