It is wrong to compare Siddaramaiah with Urs, says Jagadish Shettar

“It is wrong to compare Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with the former Chief Minister late D. Devaraj Urs. While Urs implemented several development and welfare programmes in the State, Mr. Siddaramaiah has not done anything of significance,” BJP MP Jagadish Shettar said in Bagalkot on Sunday.

“Some people are celebrating Mr. Siddaramaiah completing seven years as Chief Minister. Why is that so important? Shivaraj Singh Chauhan of the BJP has completed 15 years as Chief Minister in Madhya Pradesh. What is important is not the length of service, but effectiveness of governance. Those celebrating should point out what he has achieved in these seven years,” Mr. Shettar said.

He said that infighting in the Congress is affecting governance in Karnataka. “It has derailed not only development but also disrupted law and order. The Congress government is spending over ₹50,000 crore on guarantees, while funds release for development works has dried up. For example, the third phase of Upper Krishna Project development needs ₹70,000 crore. But the State government has no money for it. The police are failing to contain anti-social elements. A Congress worker was killed in a shooting in Ballari. A woman was disrobed and assaulted in Hubballi and the police have failed to act properly in such situations,” he said.

Earlier, Mr. Shettar organised a meeting in the BJP office and appealed for unity among various factions in the district unit.

“It has come to our notice that there are some factions in the district BJP and that it is affecting the morale of our workers. We should address this. We should forget all our internal differences and work towards the ultimate goal of the party. Of course, compared to other parties, the unity among BJP cadres and leaders is very high. That is our strength. We should retain it and work unitedly,” he said.