The BJP lost wherever Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned during the Karnataka Assembly elections, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Monday, hitting back at the prime minister for his attack on the Congress government in the state. “It was a political speech full of lies. He (Modi) made political allegations,” Siddaramaiah said, responding to media queries at a news conference. “Modi was disappointed (with the outcome of Karnataka elections). He came here 48 times. Wherever he went they (BJP) lost. Wherever he did roadshows and public meetings for elections, the BJP lost,” he said. At an election rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, Modi alleged that development had come to a standstill in Karnataka and that the chief minister was unsure how long he would remain the head of the government. “Wherever a Congress government is formed by mistake, a competition to loot the state between its chief minister and deputy is taking place and such news is coming from Karnataka,” the prime minister said. “I never expected a statement like this from the PM of my country,” Siddaramaaih said, adding that it was unbecoming of the prime minister to make such remarks. “Modi can make these statements if he has any documents. But being a PM, he should not lie,” the chief minister said, noting that the central government had agencies to investigate any wrongdoing. The BJP’s disappointment with Karnataka election results is the reason why the party’s national leadership has not appointed a leader of the Opposition in the state yet, Siddaramaiah further alleged.
