Davanagere: Congress leader Shri Rahul Gandhi on August 3, 2022, attended the birthday celebrations of Karnataka former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Devangere in Karnataka. Stating that the Karnataka Congress is completely united, Shri Rahul Gandhi said he shares a special bond with Siddaramaiah.

“I don’t usually attend birthday celebrations. I’ve come here because I share a special bond with Siddaramaiah. Not only do I like him as a person, but I also share his views. I share his compassion for the poor and the weak. I also appreciate how he ran the government of Karnataka when he was CM and he gave direction to the people of Karnataka. He had a vision for. It was premised on the idea of fairness for all. That’s completely different from what we see today in the BJP government,” he said.

He said that the current BJP government is harmful to the harmony of Karnataka. “While the Congress government united the people and created harmony in the state, the BJP is dividing people and spreading hatred in this beautiful state. People from the United States say that Karnataka has never faced the violence it is facing today. They also say that the state was in complete harmony when Congress was in power in Karnataka. They also say that harmony and peace are very important to do business in the state. This is only possible if the Congress government in Karnataka comes back to power,” he added.

Stating that the BJP is colonising the state, Shri Rahul Gandhi said, “We believe in the culture, the language, and the tradition of Karnataka. All these are fundamentals for the future of India. The BJP only wants to colonize Karnataka with one idea.”

“Today, I was happy to see Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar hugging each other on the stage”, Shri Rahul Gandhi said at the event after Shivakumar felicitated Siddaramaiah, a former Chief Minister, on his 75th birthday and hugged him in the presence of Shri Rahul Gandhi.

Shri Rahul Gandhi said that Shri Shivakumar has done tremendous work for the Congress organisation. “The Congress party is completely united to defeat BJP and RSS in Karnataka” he said. “When the Congress comes to power, it will give a ‘Clean and Honest’ government which will work for the future of the state and it will not spread hatred,” Shri Gandhi said.

Greeting Siddaramaiah on his birthday, he said: “He is one person who looks younger as he grows older.”

Speaking at a mega event to celebrate his birthday, former Chief Minister and CLP leader Shri Siddaramaiah asserted that the talk that there is a rift between him and Shivakumar is an ‘Illusion and Creation’ of opposition parties.

“Shivakumar and I are together. There is no difference of opinion among us”, Shri Siddaramaiah said.

Karnataka PCC President Shri D.K. Shivakumar, in his speech, said that the Congress has decided to fight the Assembly elections under collective leadership.

Later, Shri Gandhi visited Chitradurga’s Murugarajendra mutt and took the blessings of Dr. Sri Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru.