Hesitant to contest from Badami, says Siddaramaiah

Unable to spend enough time in Badami as MLA, he says

“I am hesitant to contest from Badami Assembly constituency as I am unable to spend much time there,’‘ said Congress leader and Badami MLA Siddaramaiah in Belagavi on Monday.

“As an MLA, I should visit the taluk at least once a week. I am unable to do that due to my commitments in other places. Sometimes, I am not able to go there even once a month. I wanted to go there tomorrow as it is nearly two months that I visited the taluk. However, I had to cancel my visit as I have some other work elsewhere. That is why I am hesitant to fight the next elections from Badami,’‘ he said. He was speaking to journalists in the Belagavi airport in Sambra.

“However, there is a lot of pressure from his supporters and party workers to contest from Badami again. A group of women have told me that they will stage a dharna in front of my house if I don’t contest. Workers from other constituencies like Kolar, Mysuru and Chamraj Nagar district are inviting me to contest elections from their districts. I am yet to decide,’‘ he said.

He defended his participation in the birthday celebrations of Vinay Kulkarni, former MLA, who is facing charges of murdering a former zilla panchayat member. “Till the Supreme Court convicts him for the said charges, he is presumed to be innocent. Mere charges do not make anyone a criminal. Amit Shah has been convicted of serious crimes and the authorities passed orders of externment against him. However, he has become the home minister of the country. Is it not a fact?,’‘ he said.

Mr. Siddharamaiah dismissed JDS leader C.M. Ibrahim’s statement that Siddaramaiah had become a political orphan as the Congress leaders had isolated him. “If that was true, why are so many leaders with me?, Mr. Ibrahim should explain it,’‘ he said. He pointed out to leaders like Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Anjali Nimbalkar, M.B. Patil, former MLAs Firose Sait and M.H. Quadri who had come to receive him from the airport.