A meeting of leaders belonging to Ahinda, an acronym for Minorities, Backward classes, and Dalits, held in Mysuru on Saturday took serious exception to the efforts of the BJP leaders to tarnish the image of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah under the pretext of the alleged irregularities in allotment of sites by Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to land losers.
The leaders, who gathered for a “Round Table Meeting” organised under the joint aegis of Karnataka State Backward Classes Awareness Forum and Ahinda at a hotel in the city, resolved to hold conventions of Ahinda communities to counter the allegations against Mr Siddaramaiah and stand by him.
The participants of the meeting said Mr. Siddaramaiah’s political adversaries in the BJP were unable to stomach the return of a backward class leader to the post of Chief Minister for a second time and hence were conspiring to malign his reputation by citing the MUDA ‘scam’.
The residential sites allotted to Mr. Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi were within the framework of law, the participants argued. The only agenda of BJP and JD (S) leaders was to bring down Mr. Siddaramaiah from the post of Chief Minister. Hence, it was time for Ahinda leaders to rally around Mr. Siddaramaiah, the leaders resolved.
Karnataka State Backward Classes Awareness Forum president K.S. Shivaram, who addressed the gathering, said he had highlighted several instances of irregularities and corruption in the MUDA during the BJP government’s tenure. But, the BJP government failed to curb the illegal activities in MUDA.
“Now, they are blaming Mr. Siddaramaiah in an effort to tarnish his image as they are unable to tolerate him becoming the Chief Minister for the second time,” he said before warning that a state-wide agitation will be launched if the BJP does not halt its campaign against Mr. Siddaramaiah.
Mysuru District Congress Committee president B.J. Vijaykumar and a host of leaders from Ahinda organisations participated in the meeting.
