Bengaluru erupted in political heat as senior BJP leader and former minister M.P. Renukacharya unleashed a scathing attack on Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Renukacharya demanded an unconditional apology from Siddaramaiah to the nation after the CM labeled Prime Minister Narendra Modi a ‘coward’ during a recent Lok Sabha debate.
Speaking at the BJP’s Jagannath Bhavan office in Bengaluru on Wednesday, Renukacharya called the remark an insult to every Indian. ‘Calling the Prime Minister of 140 crore people a coward is a direct affront to the entire country,’ he thundered. He urged Siddaramaiah to seek forgiveness from all citizens for this grave offense.
Renukacharya dug into history, reminding everyone of Siddaramaiah’s 2014 comment branding Modi a ‘mass murderer.’ ‘The people responded decisively at the polls,’ he said, pointing to the electoral backlash. He accused the CM of bowing to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra just to cling to power. ‘Does such servility befit a seasoned leader like you?’ he questioned.
Defending Modi, Renukacharya clarified that the PM did not flee the Lok Sabha out of fear. ‘Congress women tried to disrupt proceedings, and on the Speaker’s advice, he stepped aside. Is that cowardice?’ He mocked Siddaramaiah’s language as a slip of the tongue driven by power hunger.
Three years into his term, Renukacharya challenged Siddaramaiah’s achievements. ‘What have you delivered for Karnataka? Your party’s crude rhetoric has eroded its national standing,’ he said. He proudly noted Modi’s rise from a tea seller to India’s leader, contrasting it with Congress’s faded glory from ‘Indira is India’ to irrelevance.
Renukacharya alleged that even Siddaramaiah’s own senior colleagues are deserting him. He highlighted Modi’s global influence, from US tariff cuts to swift retaliation against the Pulwama terror attack. ‘Terrorists were obliterated in record time—that’s real strength,’ he asserted.
On the VV Giri-Ramji scheme, he dismissed Congress misinformation, stating it has parliamentary and presidential approval. He accused Siddaramaiah of pressuring the Governor for false statements. With Congress in power in just three states, Renukacharya predicted further decline.
The controversy stems from Siddaramaiah’s reaction to the Lok Sabha passing the President’s address without Modi’s customary reply, which he dubbed an act of cowardice. Renukacharya concluded by respecting Siddaramaiah’s seniority but insisting on an apology for insulting the PM.