‘A ruse to establish B.Y. Vijayendra, Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah as future State leaders’ 

Mysore/Mysuru: Former Minister and MLC A.H. Vishwanath has labelled the Bengaluru-Mysuru padayatra by BJP-JD(S) coalition and Congress party’s counter ‘Janandolana Rally’ as a sham, aimed at positioning the next generation of political leaders who happen to be the sons of current leaders.

“It’s all a public spectacle. The padayatra and the counter ralllies are designed to establish B.Y. Vijayendra (son of former CM B.S. Yediyurappa), Nikhil Kumaraswamy (son of Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy), and Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah (son of CM Siddaramaiah) as future leaders of the State,” he said.

Speaking to reporters at Pathrakarthara Bhavan yesterday, he accused former CMs Yediyurappa and Kumaraswamy of trying to promote their sons as popular leaders, while CM Siddaramaiah is countering this by projecting Dr. Yathindra. “Public interest is being sidelined in favour of family interests, with nepotism reaching its peak,” he added.

On personal attacks

Addressing the issue of personal attacks, Vishwanath criticised the escalating verbal exchanges between BJP and Congress leaders, describing them as intolerable. He labelled the public quarrels among H.D. Kumaraswamy, D.K. Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah as shameful, noting that all three parties are publicly accusing each other and resorting to derogatory language.

This behaviour, he argued, is not only embarrassing but also degrades the Kannada language, which he termed as an atrocity.

Vishwanath expressed concern over the erosion of the culture of dignified language and culture due to political mud-slinging, particularly in culturally rich cities like Mysuru. He pointed out that writers and intellectuals, who benefit from Government schemes, remain silent, further exacerbating the problem. He urged Kannada activists to combat this misuse of language by politicians to restore dignity and preserve cultural values.

‘Return the 14 sites to clear taint’

Vishwanath advised CM Siddaramaiah to return the 14 MUDA sites registered in his wife Parvathi’s name in Vijayanagar’s Third and Fourth Stages and to refer the MUDA 50:50 land allocation scam to the CBI for investigation, to clear the taint on his reputation.

“You always claim to be a true socialist. How much land does your son need? You have only one son. You might have a strong legal team to navigate this controversy, but remember that people are seeing a new side of Siddaramaiah, one that has allegedly misused his power to acquire land. Public image is crucial in politics — don’t damage it further,” the MLC advised the CM.