He said those in public life should gracefully accept criticism. (File)
Karnataka BJP president BS Yeddyurappa on Tuesday accused Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda of being the "most opportunistic" politicians in the country, as he attacked the JDS-Congress government in the state on the farmers' issues.
Extending his party's full support to the farmers' cause by calling for a statewide agitation on Wednesday, Mr Yeddyurappa alleged that Mr Gowda and Mr Kumaraswamy were synonymous with "betrayal".
Mr Yeddyurappa also hit out at Mr Kumaraswamy for a remark he made against a protesting woman farmer at Belagavi on Sunday.
"It is shameful on the part of the chief minister to make a disgraceful remark against a woman farmer. It is also arrogance to call the protesting farmers goondas and dacoits," Mr Yeddyurappa said.
Describing the chief minister's remarks against the woman "derogatory", he lashed out at Mr Kumaraswamy for trying to defend it.
He said those in public life should gracefully accept criticism. Farmers protested the way they did as the chief minister backtracked from his promise, he said.
"Power seems to have gone into the chief minister's head," he said, adding that Congress leaders who are supporting Mr Kumaraswamy's government should think over the CM's remarks.
"If they have self-respect they should ask the CM to implement the decisions or quit the post," Mr Yeddyurappa said.
Farmers are protesting in Belagavi for the last few days demanding clearance of their pending arrears by sugar factories for the cane supplied and announcement of purchase price for sugarcane for the current season.
They had intensified their protest Sunday by "gatecrashing" their loaded trucks into "Suvarna Vidhana Soudha", the legislature complex in northern district, protesting Kumaraswamy's cancellation of his scheduled visit to meet ryots.
In a strong reaction, Mr Kumaraswamy had described those who barged into the legislature complex as "goondas" and accused them of defaming the entire farming community.
Also, Mr Kumaraswamy's remarks against a woman farmer while questioning her 'silence' in the last four years on the arrears issue and her farming background, had evoked sharp reaction from her.
Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, you and Deve Gowda are most opportunistic" politicians in the country," Mr Yeddyurappa said, while attacking the duo for repeatedly not keeping their promises.
They say I had gone to their door to make me chief minister, you should be ashamed to make such statements," he said, recalling that it was Mr Kumaraswamy who quit the Dharm Singh lead Congress-JD(S) coalition in 2006 and joined hands with the BJP to form the coalition government.
Reminding that he had given full support to the JD(S)-led 20 months government, Yeddyurappa accused Mr Kumaraswamy of "betrayal" then.
Accusing Mr Gowda of insulting former chief ministers like Ramkrishna Hegde and S R Bommai, he said the father-son duo had also insulted former chief minister Siddaramaiah by trying to end his political career by ensuring his loss in the Chamundeshwari assembly constituency in Mysuru.
"...I think Siddaramaiah is tolerating all the insults and is waiting for the right time," he added.
Questioning Mr Kumaraswamy about the steps taken for the benefit of farmers and common man in the last five months, he said, "the chief minister repeatedly claims credit for loan waiver, but how much loan waiver has happened so far is the question."
"Cooperative sector is in distress, not even a paise has been waived from nationalised banks who are now giving notices to farmers...you are just lying and wasting time," he added.
Mr Yeddyurappa said the BJP would stage protest in taluk and district centres across the state Wednesday to highlight state issues and against Mr Kumaraswamy's "derogatory" remarks against the woman farmer.