BR Patil says words ‘twisted’ on ‘lottery CM’ phone call leak
Senior Congress leader and Aland MLA BR Patil said on Wednesday his remarks about chief minister Siddaramaiah were misconstrued and misrepresented to fuel divisions within the ruling party.
Senior Congress leader and Aland MLA BR Patil said on Wednesday his remarks about chief minister Siddaramaiah were misconstrued and misrepresented to fuel divisions within the ruling party.
A purported audio clip of Patil’s phone call, allegedly recorded during his visit to KR Pet in Mandya, surfaced earlier this week and quickly gained traction on social media. In it, Patil was allegedly heard saying that Siddaramaiah “won the lottery” and rose to power due to “luck” and “planetary alignment.” He also claimed credit for introducing Siddaramaiah to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. HT could not verify the veracity of the audio clip.
In the leaked audio, Patil allegedly said: “Siddaramaiah won the lottery. I was the one who first introduced him to Sonia Gandhi, but his stars aligned and he became CM... His fate was good, so he got the position, but I remained unlucky.”
After the clip sparked criticisms from the opposition, Patil said that the remarks were personal and taken out of context.
“My words have been twisted by electronic media and social media and it’s wrong,” he said. “I was speaking to a dear friend of mine in KR Pete when Siddaramaiah’s matter came up and I said that Siddaramaiah hit a lottery to become the CM. It’s wrong to say I made him meet Sonia Gandhi. I was with him when he went to meet Sonia Gandhi. He was insisting on not meeting her this time, but decided to meet her only since I pressured him. He’s a mass leader. I don’t have the power to make him chief minister.”
Patil, who currently serves as deputy chairman of the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission, dismissed suggestions that he played a pivotal role in Siddaramaiah’s elevation. “Some people are intentionally trying to ruin my relationship with him,” he said. “Nine of us from JD(S) quit the party and joined Congress under his leadership. The Congress made him CM because of the support he received from people, not because we asked for him to be made CM. This attempt by some to ruin my relationship with Siddaramaiah is wrong.”
The BJP targeted the Congress government over the comments. Leader of Opposition R Ashoka called Siddaramaiah a “lottery CM” and accused him of holding on to power through dubious means. “Your own party MLAs are spitting on your government with disgust,” Ashoka said in a statement. “You could silence the high command agent Surjewala with a couple of suitcases. You could offer hefty tributes to the high command and secure your position. You could intimidate or threaten the MLAs to shut their mouths. But how will you silence the voices of the common people? Enough of this hypocritical life already. Resign and bring down the curtain on this drama,” he added.
