Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar should be given ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ if they don’t fight till 2024: BJP’s Annamalai

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader K Annamalai on Saturday claimed that the new Karnataka government headed by Congress leader Siddaramaiah would “collapse” within a year. Speaking to news agency ANI, he said that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar should be awarded the ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ if the two Congress leaders do not fight till 2024.

“I see the Karnataka government falling like a pack of cards a year from now. If DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah don’t fight till 2024, both should be given the Nobel Peace Prize… because their government structure itself Flawed,” said Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai.

In Karnataka, we read in the newspaper that one chief minister will rule for two and a half years and another chief minister will rule for two and a half years. Till then, one person will be the deputy chief minister, he said.

“A chief minister will get 10 ministers, a deputy chief minister will get 10 ministers and the AICC (All India Congress Committee) will get 10 ministers… have you seen such a structure anywhere in the world,” he said.

Annamalai also took a dig at ‘opposition unity’ and asked what kind of unity would there be when ‘there is no unity in the Congress itself’.

Ending days of suspense, the Congress on Thursday named Siddaramaiah as the next Chief Minister of Karnataka and Shivakumar, a frontrunner for the top post, as his sole deputy.

Later, speaking to reporters, Annamalai congratulated Siddaramaiah on becoming the chief minister of Karnataka and sought to know about the source of funds for implementing the party’s five poll promises, as the Rs 2,000 denomination currency would be brought back by this September. Will be taken

“I congratulate Siddaramaiah on becoming the Chief Minister with the people’s mandate. Where is the money for the Congress government to implement its five election assurances, which require around Rs 65,000 crore per year? Rs 2,000 notes cannot be bagged now as they will be taken back by this September,” Annamalai said sarcastically.

Financial assistance of Rs 2,000 to women heads of households, assistance to unemployed graduates and diploma holders, 10 kg free rice to BPL families, 200 units of free electricity for every household in Karnataka, and free bus travel passes for women were election assurances. Congress Party.

He also objected to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and the latter’s deputy DK Shivakumar attending the swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah, who had assured to build the Mekedatu Dam during the recently held Karnataka Assembly elections. Kaveri river. Annamalai said the proposed project was against the interests of Tamil Nadu.

Siddaramaiah takes oath as Chief Minister of Karnataka

Earlier on Saturday, at a grand ceremony in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah was sworn in as the chief minister of Karnataka and state Congress president DK Shivakumar was sworn in as deputy CM along with eight MLAs as ministers. A galaxy of opposition leaders, including chief ministers of some non-BJP ruled states, participated in the mega event showing solidarity with the Congress party to take on the saffron party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, former party president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attended the swearing-in ceremony, while former AICC president Sonia Gandhi remained absent.

pic.twitter.com/s7No2GXPEI– Congress (@INCIndia) May 20, 2023

Chief ministers of Congress-ruled states Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan), Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh), and Sukhwinder Singh Sukku (Himachal Pradesh) and several top party leaders were also present.

The event marked by bonhomie saw the participation of chief ministers MK Stalin (Tamil Nadu), Hemant Soren (Jharkhand), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), and Tejashwi Yadav (Deputy CM-Bihar). NCP president Sharad Pawar, National Conference supremo Farooq Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, actor-politician Kamal Haasan, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI general secretary D Raja were also present.

pic.twitter.com/XpcHpbBtqQ– Congress (@INCIndia) May 20, 2023

In the May 10 elections to the 224-member assembly, the Congress won 135 seats, while the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular), led by former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, secured 66 and 19 seats, respectively.