“It is true that I tried to return the money given by Siddarmaiah on Friday. But, I did not mean to insult him,’’ said the woman who on Friday had thrown back the money given by the Congress leader at Kulageri cross in Bagalkot district.
The woman’s son had been hurt in a communal clash earlier in this month and Mr. Siddaramaiah, Leader of the Opposition and MLA of the constituency, had visited the victims and families on Friday and offered ₹50,000 to four families. The woman, identified as Rajima Begum, had said she needed justice and not money.
In a video message on Saturday, she said, “When Mr. Siddaramaiah gave me the money, I told him we don’t want the money, but we want justice. My sister ran behind the car holding the notes, planning to return them. She tripped and the notes fell.” However, later she had been convinced to take the money.
‘Our families targeted’
In the video message addressed to Mr. Siddaramaiah, the two women said they knew that he had given it as a gesture of goodwill and that it was his personal contribution. “We know that you meant well. But we are too tense at what is happening. Our family members have been frequently targeted. We have lost all hope,’’ one of the women said.
