Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah has found himself embroiled in controversy after a video surfaced showing him and his ministers traveling by a luxury jet to Delhi.
In the midst of the Congress’ crowdfunding campaign, the BJP launched an attack on Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and state minister Ahmed Khan, accusing them of traveling in a “private jet” while their party is requesting donations.
In response to a question about the video of himself and Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan traveling on a chartered flight, CM Siddaramaiah retorted, “Ask BJP people how Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels.”
The video was initially shared by Karnataka Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan himself, featuring the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the minister on the private jet with the caption “Happy moments of traveling from Delhi to Bangalore with our proud leader, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.”
The video shows Siddaramaiah accompanied by Housing Minister Khan and Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, among others.
The Karnataka opposition BJP strongly criticized the Congress government in Karnataka for “flaunting wealth and luxury lifestyles.”
Earlier, BJP leader Amit Malviya condemned the Karnataka Congress, stating that the duo had “happy moments” in a private jet while traveling to Delhi to seek drought funds from the Centre.
Posting a video of Karnataka Minister Zameer Ahmed with the Chief Minister on a social media platform, X, Malviya wrote, “On the one hand, Congress is pretending to crowdfund and didn’t even serve samosas in I.N.D.I Alliance meeting, on the other, Zameer Ahmed Khan, Cabinet Minister for Housing, Waqf and Minority Affairs in Karnataka Govt, is flaunting his pictures with CM Siddaramaiah in a private jet. They apparently had ‘happy moments’ traveling together to Delhi, to seek funds for drought relief. Irony died a million times.”
“Karnataka is reeling under mis-governance, but Congress’ looting must continue,” added Malviya.
Gujarat Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil also supported the Karnataka Chief Minister, stating, “When PM Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, he traveled in the costliest aircraft brought in especially for him from UAE.”
Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra said, “If bigotry had a face, @INCKarnataka govt would be the Best of it! At a time when the whole of Karnataka is reeling under severe drought, farmers staring at the worst crisis with crop loss and no rainfall, and hardly any development works taking off, all that @CMofKarnataka and his team of cabinet ministers could think of is flaunting their Rich Fortunes and Luxury Lifestyles over the poor damsels of the State! By the way, they were traveling in this luxurious aircraft to seek funds for drought relief works! What a crude mockery of our distress! Splurging the taxpayers’ money comes so easily for @INCIndia ministers!” Vijayendra said in a post on ‘X’.
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The recent controversy surrounding Siddaramaiah, the former Chief Minister of Karnataka, and his use of a private jet has sparked a political debate. The Congress party has defended Siddaramaiah by drawing attention to the extravagant travels of Narendra Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. This move by the Congress is seen as a counterattack against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who has been criticizing Siddaramaiah for his alleged misuse of public funds. The BJP has been quick to dismiss the comparison, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in public office. This back-and-forth between the two parties highlights the ongoing rivalry and political maneuvering in Indian politics.
