Karnataka Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah clarified his controversial “PM’s puppy” comment against chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, claiming that his words were misplaced.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, the leader of Opposition said, “I did not call him a puppy and that was not my intention. All I meant was that the state BJP leaders must be brave in front of their national leaders and talk to them boldly. They should not act like a puppy and fight for the rights of Karnataka. My words were misplaced.”
Addressing the crowd at Karnataka’s Ballari recently, Siddaramaiah said, “Basavaraj Bommai came to power through ‘Operation Lotus’ in Karnataka. If you have guts and courage, then get ₹5,495 crore from the Centre. He is like a puppy of PM Narendra Modi and trembles before him.”
Responding to Siddaramaiah’s comments on him, Bommai said ex-CM’s words mirror his personality. “The comments reflect the personality of Siddaramaiah and his party members. The dog is a faithful animal and it’s doing its job faithfully. I am faithful to the people of Karnataka, which is why they stand with our government. I have not divided society as Siddaramaiah did in his tenure as CM. We made people happy and did not make them go through hard times like the Congress government,” said Bommai.
The assembly election in Karnataka is likely to be held in April or May this year and all the political parties are preparing for election campaigns.