Congress leaders wear flower behind ear to protest in Karnataka assembly

The Kivi Mele Hoovu campaign represents the ‘flower on the ear’, which means someone has been tricked, alleging that the BJP government has cheated people by not fulfilling promises from the previous budget and its 2018 manifesto.

In protest against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders arrived at the state assembly for the Budget session wearing flowers behind their ears, alleging that the BJP government has cheated people and not fulfilled promises.

Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah and Congress MLA DK Shivakumar attending the State Budget presentation for the financial year 2023-24 by State Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai (Unseen) in the State Assembly, in Bengaluru . (ANI)

The Kivi Mele Hoovu campaign represents the ‘flower on the ear’, which means someone has been tricked, alleging that the BJP government has cheated people by not fulfilling promises from the previous budget and its 2018 manifesto.

Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said, “They are fooling people. That is why we are keeping flowers in our ears as a mark of protest…The double engine is not working. There is only smoke. CM Basavaraj Bommai can keep this budget in a showcase.”

Reacting to the Congress protest, CM Bommai said it was an irresponsible act from the Opposition.

“This is an irresponsible and foolish act from Congress. They had nothing to say about our Budget, so they are doing such antics. They have been keeping flower people’s ears by deceiving for many years. Now people will give them the answer,” he said, adding that the Congress gave BJP publicity by using saffron flowers.

Responding to the Budget, Siddaramaiah said that the government had failed to fulfil the announcements made in the previous Budget.

“This is the BJP government’s election budget. Since the election is in two months, this can be called the exit budget of the BJP government. What programs were announced in the last budget, out of which 56 programs have not been implemented. In 2018, the BJP made 600 promises to the people of the state through its manifesto, of which 90% were not fulfilled,” he added.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief DK Shivakumar also said, “Today, we are responding symbolically against the BJP by putting flowers on our ears in protest to the Budget, which fools the Kannadigas. This Budget is like a sunny horse. No one can see it. No one can feel it. Bommai can keep a copy at home to claim that he has presented a budget.”

“Why has the BJP government, which had advertised in a big way that they would give ₹2000 per woman, reduced it to ₹500? Job creation, empowerment of farmers, relief against inflation, and efforts to save workers and employers have not been made. It is a short-sighted budget,” he added.

Welcoming the proposal of establishing a startup park at the cost of ₹30 crore in the state budget presented on Friday, CN Ashwath Narayan, IT minister of Karnataka, said it would go a long way in stimulating the growth of around 25,000 startups that exist in the state.

“The state is well poised for further structuring the startup ecosystem and investment in tech infrastructure. This calls for a state-of-the-art Startup Park at Bengaluru International Airport (Kempegowda International Airport). The airport vicinity shall provide global connectivity to the startup park and allow easy mobility for the entrepreneurial human resource,” Narayan explained.