‘Siddaramaiah’s longest-serving CM record doesn’t deserve celebration’

Bengaluru, Jan 5 (IANS) Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday launched a scathing attack on Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, saying his claim of breaking the longest-serving Chief Minister record does not deserve celebration but should instead be “buried”.

Reacting to Siddaramaiah’s statement that he would break the record of former Chief Minister D. Devaraj Urs, Kumaraswamy said, “What merit does he have for all this? Looking at the condition of the state, his record deserves to be buried rather than celebrated.”

Addressing a press conference at the JD(S) state office, JP Bhavan, in Bengaluru, the Union Minister said Siddaramaiah, who boasts of having administered the state for a long period, had in fact presided over what he described as a textbook example of bad governance.

Expressing anguish, Kumaraswamy said Siddaramaiah’s administrative record deserved to be consigned to history as a failure.

“Karnataka, which once stood as a model of good governance, has today become an example of inefficiency and poor administration. Where is Devaraj Urs, and where are these people? Forget about breaking Urs’ record, Siddaramaiah himself will be the last Chief Minister of the Congress party in this state. Voters will teach Congress a lesson,” he said.

He alleged that the last two-and-a-half years of governance would go down in history as one of the worst administrations, claiming that corruption, murder, extortion, drug mafia activities and honour killings had continued unabated.

“Unable to curb any of this, it appears that the government is functioning merely for the sake of setting records. Officers have been reduced to slaves. Under this administration, officials are working like bonded labourers, with no freedom whatsoever,” Kumaraswamy alleged.

On the law and order situation in the state, the Union Minister accused the Chief Minister and the Home Minister of behaving irresponsibly. He alleged that whenever an incident occurs, the government attempts to deflect responsibility by forming special investigation teams and issuing statements instead of taking decisive action.

Kumaraswamy also demanded strict action against those involved in stone-pelting incidents targeting devotees wearing Om Shakti garlands during a procession in JJ Nagar in Bengaluru. Condemning the incident, he said that stone-pelting at women devotees undertaking an Om Shakti yatra reflected a serious deterioration in law and order in the state, holding the government responsible for such incidents.

It may be noted that amid the ongoing leadership debate within the Congress, Siddaramaiah is set to equal the record of the longest-serving Chief Minister of Karnataka, held by D. Devaraj Urs, on Tuesday.

Devaraj Urs served as Chief Minister during two tenures — from 1972 to 1977 and from 1978 to 1980 — while Siddaramaiah has held the post since May 2023, after completing a full term between 2013 and 2018.

Urs served continuously for over seven-and-a-half years, completing a total of 7 years and 239 days in office. Siddaramaiah has now equalled that record across his two terms.

mka/pgh