Congress will certainly return to power in 2028: Sidda

Belagavi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday asserted that the Congress will return to power in Karnataka in 2028 with the people’s mandate, just as it did in 2023, and said the BJP would continue to remain in the Opposition.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly at Suvarna Soudha while responding to questions raised by the Opposition, the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the Congress government enjoys the support of 140 MLAs and that there was no need for the Opposition to create unnecessary speculation.

Referring to a popular proverb, Siddaramaiah remarked that the role of the Opposition seemed to be adding salt to a burning wound. He said that despite repeated provocations, none of the ruling party legislators would be swayed. “The people have blessed me to serve as Chief Minister for five years. We have the strength of 140 MLAs, and the Opposition need not indulge in sour commentary,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the Congress government clearly understands the pulse of the people. “Just as the people blessed us in 2023, they will do so again in 2028. The people of Karnataka will never bring the BJP to power,” he asserted.

Siddaramaiah alleged that although the BJP has ruled the state twice, it never came to power with a clear popular mandate. He claimed that in 2008 and 2018, the BJP formed the government through defections under ‘Operation Kamala’ and entered power through the back door rather than through people’s blessings. He said this clearly showed that the people of the state do not favour the BJP.

Recalling the post-2018 political developments, Siddaramaiah said the Congress had formed a coalition government with the JD(S) in 2019 with the intention of preventing the BJP from coming to power, but the BJP questioned even that alliance. The Chief Minister said that while the Congress follows the final word of its high command, the BJP has failed to arrive at a consensus even in the selection of its party president. He alleged that frustration and jealousy were evident within the BJP ranks.

“We will provide a stable government for five years and face the next election confidently. In 2013 and again in 2023, the people gave Congress a mandate. The BJP has never received such a mandate and will not receive it in the future either,” Siddaramaiah said, adding that the BJP would continue to sit in the Opposition.

Quoting poet Kanakadasa, he said leadership was not about individuals but collective responsibility. “This is not my government, it is our government. I am the Chief Minister now and will remain so until the high command decides otherwise,” he concluded.