Kumaraswamy calls Siddaramaiah 'Terminator'

Bengaluru: Former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has come down heavily on the Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, and calling him "Mr Terminator" while charging that the coalition government of the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) collapsed because of his conspiracy.

Venting out his ire against the Congress leader, Kumaraswamy condemned Siddaramaiah's statement that Congress did not go to JD-S for alliance, before the coalition of Congress-JD-S came to power in 2018.

Later, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to wrestle the power from the coalition later and formed its own government under the leadership of former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.

"Being constructive is being human. Being destructive is being a demon. You know only destruction. You do not have constructive ideas," Kumaraswamy wrote on Monday on a social media platform.

"The Congress leaders had come to our door steps to request to take up leadership with an intention to keep the BJP away from power. You did not know the decisions of your party leaders Siddaramaiah," he questioned.

"Siddaramaiah says he did not come to the door steps of our party. Who had invited you? Who begged for our coalition? When Congress central leaders were attempting to form coalition government, who was conspiring against it Mr Terminator? " Kumaraswamy questioned.

Kumaraswamy further attacked him by questioning who supported the Congress and JD-S leaders to quit their political parties and join hands with the BJP?

"You have brought down the government installed by the high command. Now, you are coming out with one lie after the other. You answer who got the team ready to bring BJP into power in Karnataka?" Kumaraswamy said. He accused Siddaramaiah of going against decisions of Congress high command, conspiring against Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge and former Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara. Now, he is busy conspiring against Congress state president D.K. Shivakumar. Of late, Siddaramaiah is seeing scathing attacks against him within the party and from opposition parties.

Senior Congress leader B.B. Chimmanakatti recently chided him for choosing Badami constituency for being unable to win from the Chamundeshwari constituency from where he contested traditionally.

Sources say the "war" within the Congress party has intensified between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar who have eyes on the coveted post of the Chief Minister if Congress comes to power in 2023 assembly elections.