Bengaluru, March 9 Angry over the Congress boycotting his budget speech after creating ruckus in the Assembly, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Monday vowed to defeat the party in the 2023 Assembly polls, and ensure that Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah "remains forever in the Opposition".
Addressing a media conference after his budget speech here, Yediyurappa sharply reacted that he would ensure that Congress is defeated in 2023 Assembly polls.
"I will give it in writing that their (Congress) defeat is imminent... they will remain in the opposition forever. Take it from me, I have said this in the past, now I am ready to give it in writing," he shot back in response to a question.
He questioned is there any precedence in this country on the Opposition staging a walkout either in the Centre or the state during the presentation of the budget?
"They (Congress) speak high about morality while they are in opposition. What morality are they (Congress) talking about?" he questioned.
"Being a leader of the Opposition, Siddarmaiah speaks but unfortunately, his words and actions are going to drown his party. He will remain forever in the opposition. I will thoroughly expose the Congress on the floor of the house. I am not going to spare them this time," he said, adding: "Don't call me Yediyurappa, if I don't make him (Siddaramaiah) sit in the opposition by winning 130 to 135 seats."
Yediyurappa reacted after Congress staged a walkout in the Karnataka Assembly during the tabling of budget for 2021-22 by him.
Reasoning out his decision to boycott the budget speech, Siddaramiah told reporters that both Yediyurappa and minister Murugesh Nirani were involved in a criminal case.
"The High Court has rejected their petition to quash the FIR filed against them. They appealed to the Supreme Court which heard the matter and refused to grant stay on the High Court judgement. Beside, the six ministers are under the fear that CDs which are there may be played. When courts of the land are not giving reprieve to the CM and his minister, how can this budget have any validity?" he questioned.
He added that with fear and apprehension, they (six ministers) went to court and got a temporary injunction.
"In their petition they have mentioned there are another 19 CDs. It means this government has lost the right to rule this state. They have lost the moral right," he said.
A CD allegedly featuring Water Resource Minister, Ramesh Jarakiholi getting intimate with a woman went viral which forced him to quit from the cabinet last week, creating a lot of stir within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Following this episode, Agriculture Minister B.C. Patil, Urban Development Minister Byrathi Basavaraj, Health Minister K. Sudhakar, Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar, Cooperation Minister S.T. Somashekar, and Youth Empowerment and Sports Minister Narayan Gowda had moved the court on Friday.
On Saturday, the court granted ex-parte order to restrain 68 media houses from publishing unverified or defamatory content against them.
( With inputs from IANS )
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