Jagadish Shettar blames Siddu for crisis in Cong-JDS coalition

Bengaluru: Holding senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah responsible for the current political crisis in Karnataka, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar on Tuesday claimed that the Congress-JD(S)coalition government would fall anytime after May 23.

The BJP leader even accused Siddaramaiah, a former chief minister, of having fixed a “time bomb” in the government.

“I have been saying from the beginning that this government may fall any time. Those signs are now very much visible.

The person who has fixed the time bomb for this government is Siddaramaiah. He has kept it ready for May 23,” Shettar said.

BJP leaders have been saying that once the Lok Sabha election results are out on May 23, the countdown for the current government would begin.

“Siddaramaiah is responsible for the current crisis. It is a conspiracy to pull down Kumaraswamy government and become chief minister again,” Shettar told reporters at Hubballi.

He even accused Siddaramaiah of supporting actress Sumalatha, widow of Kannada actor-turned-politician Ambareesh, who contested from the Mandya Lok Sabha seat against chief minister H D Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, a JD(S) candidate.

Asked about the Congress leaders’ claims that at least 20 BJP MLAs were in touch with them, Shettar challenged them to spell out at least one name.

Siddaramaiah hit back, saying “BJP has no job other than adding fuel to the fire.

They are experts in that. They try to project falsehood as truth. They do not know anything other than lies,” he said.