Nikhil Kumaraswamy at ‘Janarondige Janata Dal’ event

Mysore/Mysuru: Saying that the JD(S) has accepted Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s statement that the number of JD(S) Legislators will come down to single digit in the next Assembly polls as a challenge, State JD(S) Youth Wing President Nikhil Kumaraswamy asserted that the party will end up with more than 58 seats in the Assembly polls.

Addressing ‘Janarondige Janata Dal’ (people connect) convention near Mellahalli on Bannur Road coming under Varuna Assembly Segment yesterday, Nikhil said that CM Siddaramaiah, who once enjoyed power while in JD(S), is now speaking lightly against the party at Vidhana Soudha. JD(S) will teach a fitting lesson to the CM in the next Assembly polls, he thundered.

“The State is facing an unprecedented situation, thanks to the corruption, nepotism and groupism in the ruling Congress Government. The State Government has used nearly Rs. 30,000 crore SCP/TSP funds for implementing its Guarantee Schemes in the past three years. This apart, the Government has reduced the fund allocation under these schemes from Rs. 190 crore to Rs. 50 crore, which is nothing but a betrayal of Dalits,” he said while hitting out at the hypocrisy of the Siddaramaiah Government.

“The JD(S) will take all measures for strengthening the party in Varuna Assembly Segment, represented by CM Siddaramaiah. The party leader Abhishek Manegar is doing his best for organising the party in the Assembly segment,” he said and appealed the people to support Abhishek in his organisational efforts.

Lashing out at the CM for speaking lightly of JD(S), Nikhil asserted  he would organise the party in all the 224 Assembly Segments of the State by holding such conventions. Stating that as many as 2,416 farmers have ended their life in the past 3 years, he said the debt of the State Government exceeds Rs. 7.64 lakh crore. Accusing the Congress of being anti-farmer, he said, the H.D. Kumaraswamy Government had waived off Rs. 25,000 crore farm loans, which had then benefited about 25 lakh agrarian families. Nikhil vowed to throw out the corrupt Congress regime led by Siddaramaiah in the next Assembly polls.

Former Minister and State JD(S) Working President S.R. Mahesh said, the Government has burdened every citizen of the State with Rs. 1.17 lakh loan. Charging the Congress Government of doing nothing other than concentrating only on implementation of its Guarantee Schemes, he maintained that the NDA would form the next Government in the State and H.D. Kumaraswamy would lead it.

Hunsur MLA G.D. Harish Gowda, in his address, charged the Congress Government of abnormal hike in electricity tariffs. Noting that the State Government has hiked the rates of almost every thing, he accused the Congress of giving free Guarantees on one hand and looting the people by hiking tariffs, rates and prices of utilities and articles of daily use at will, on the other hand.

Earlier, Nikhil Kumaraswamy was accorded a grand welcome upon his arrival at Bugathagalli Gate on Bannur Road with party workers showering flowers and garlanding him with a huge apple-garland using a crane.

MLC C.N. Manjegowda, JD(S) Mysuru City President SBM Manju, District President M. Ashwin Kumar, Varuna Constituency leader Abhishek Manegar, party leaders K. Mahadev, M.J. Ravikumar, Prasanna Kumar, Belavadi Shivamurthy, Krishna Nayak, Hemalatha, Subbappa, Varuna Prashanth, Ramu, Balakrishna, Nagesh Gowda and others were present during the convention.