‘Malicious’: Siddaramaiah discards letter sent to Sonia Gandhi in his name

The purported letter, written in Kannada, was addressed to All India Congress Committee's (AICC) chairperson Sonia Gandhi giving a heads up about a possible rebellion within the party ranks due to differences overs tickets.

Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday claimed that the letter sent to Congress' high command in his name was fake. The purported letter, written in Kannada, was addressed to All India Congress Committee's (AICC) chairperson Sonia Gandhi giving a heads up about a possible rebellion within the party ranks due to differences overs tickets.

Siddaramaiah claimed that the letter was issued with an objective to destroy his relation with KPCC president DK Shivakumar.(ANI)

"The letter has been leaked with the intention of creating confusion among the workers of our party which is on the way to victory in the next election," the veteran Congress leader tweeted in Kannada sharing the purported letter.

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Siddaramaiah further claimed that the letter was issued with an objective to destroy his relation with KPCC president and informed that he will file a complaint with the police.

"Some miscreants did this with the malicious intention of spoiling the relationship between me and the KPCC president. I wish to clarify that I have nothing to do with this letter," he reiterated.

Speculations of Siddaramaiah joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were high after he opted himself out of the Bharat Jodo Yatra finale in Srinagar. Reports of rift between the former CM and Congress' Karnataka chief DK Shivakumar were doing the rounds over ticket distribution for the upcoming assembly polls.

Read| Siddaramaiah says he will contest assembly polls from one constituency

However, the Congress leader earlier clarified that he would not join the BJP even if he is given the position of the national president or Prime Minister. "Not even my dead body will go to the BJP," he said.

The former Karnataka CM criticised the Union budget earlier and said it provided no assistance to unemployed people and farmers those who were affected by the Covid-19.

(With ANI inputs)