Bengaluru: The 2023 State election will be the last fight of my life, said former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy while addressing a party rally at Hirekerur yesterday.

Taking a dig at Congress, Kumaraswamy said the grand-old-party was the reason for the BJP to form such a bad Government.

The BJP Government, he said, was only making announcements, but were not implementing them. “It had announced an assistance of Rs. 5 lakh each to those who had lost their houses in the floods and landslides. Not a single paisa is given,” he said.

The Government also has not distributed crop loss compensation and failed to fulfil its promise to waive of farm loans, he noted.

Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had assured farmers of his Government’s commitment on the farm loan waiver, which was announced by the JD(S)-Congress coalition Government in 2019.

“Farmers here told me that the Government has not waived of farm loans. The BJP had mocked me for waiving the farm loan,” Kumaraswamy said. 

“I did not aspire to form a Government with any party. The Congress leaders came to my house and offered my party the post of Chief Minister, but H.D. Deve Gowda rejected it. I accepted the Chief Minister’s post only to fulfil my pre-poll promise of waiving of farm loan,” he said.

Just before the last Assembly elections, Kumaraswamy had promised farm loan waiver of Rs. 53,000 crore, including interests from comparative and nationalised banks within 24 hours of him taking oath as the CM.

“Even now, I don’t aspire to be the Chief Minister, but do you want a Government which does not have any interest to address the problems of people and farmers,” he asked.