Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Monday credited two leaders – former Minister R. L. Jalappa and AICC leader Ahmed Patel – for his entry into the Congress.
“It is because of these two leaders that I could join the Congress,” Mr. Siddaramaiah told the Legislative Assembly while speaking on an obituary motion to pay tributes to Mr. Jalappa, who died recently.
“While Mr. Jalappa wrote a detailed letter to AICC president Sonia Gandhi recommending to her to include me into the party, Mr. Ahmed Patel spoke to me over the phone and invited me to join the Congress,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
Mr. Siddaramaiah’s statement is being seen as a strong message to friend-turned-political foe A.H. Vishwanath who has claimed that he had brought Mr. Siddaramaiah into the Congress.
Many others, including Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Law Minister J. C. Madhuswamy, recalled their association with Mr. Jalappa. They described him as a tough man committed to the welfare of backward classes.
