'People Have Been Fooled': Karnataka Congress Leaders Attend Budget Session With Flowers Behind Ears - WATCH

Karnataka Budget Session: Congress leaders attended the Budget session with flowers behind their ears which means betrayal and fooling in Kannada.

Bengaluru: In an unusual protest against the ruling BJP, the Karnataka Congress leaders, including Siddaramaiah, state president D K Shivakumar and all party MLAs, on Friday attended the budget session wearing flowers behind their ears. In Kannada, wearing flowers behind one’s ears means betrayal and fooling. On seeing them, Chief Minister Bommai got upset and said, "They are wearing flowers to the Assembly despite being asked to remove them. According to me it’s not correct. It`s their wish and I don`t want to comment on it," he said.

ಪ್ರಣಾಳಿಕೆ & ಕಳೆದ ಬಜೆಟ್ ನ 10% ಭರವಸೆಗಳನ್ನೂ ಈಡೇರಿಸದ @BJP4Karnataka ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಸುಳ್ಳು ಭರವಸೆಯ ಬಜೆಟ್ ಮೂಲಕ ಜನತೆಯ ಕಿವಿ ಮೇಲೆ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಹೂವು ಇಟ್ಟಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಇದರ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಕಿವಿ ಮೇಲೆ ಹೂವು ಇಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡು ಅಧಿವೇಶನಕ್ಕೆ ಬರುವ ಮೂಲಕ ಕೆಪಿಸಿಸಿ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾದ @DKShivakumar ಸಾಂಕೇತಿಕವಾಗಿ ಪ್ರತಿಭಟಿಸಿದರು. #kivimelehoova pic.twitter.com/oHmZwBpKxK

— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) February 17, 2023

Taking a dig at Siddaramaiah, he said, "All these days he was trying to put flowers on others` ears (fooling people). Now, the tables have turned. The people have kept flowers on his ears which will continue till the upcoming elections," Chief Minister Bommai stated.

At this, the BJP MLAS burst out in laughter and banged the table as applause. Unwilling to relent, Siddaramaiah stood up saying that through this budget, CM Bommai is trying to keep flowers on the ears of seven crore people of the state.

ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರನ್ನು ಮೂರ್ಖರನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡುವ BJP ಬಜೆಟ್‌ ವಿರೋಧಿಸಿ ಸಾಂಕೇತಿಕವಾಗಿ ಇಂದು ಕಿವಿ ಮೇಲೆ ಹೂವಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡೇ ಪ್ರತಿಕ್ರಿಯೆ ನೀಡಿದೆ. ಈ ಬಜೆಟ್‌ ಒಂದು ಬಿಸಿಲು ಕುದುರೆಯಂತಿದೆ. ಯಾರ ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೂ ಕಾಣದು, ಕೈಗೂ ಸಿಗದು. ಬೊಮ್ಮಾಯಿ ಅವರು ತಾವೂ ಒಂದು ಬಜೆಟ್‌ ಮಂಡಿಸಿದೆ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಒಂದು ಪ್ರತಿಯನ್ನು ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಟ್ಕೊಬಹುದು.
1/2 pic.twitter.com/93bFE56doB

— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) February 17, 2023

This statement was opposed by BJP MLAs leading to an uproar. They questioned how Siddaramaiah was allowed to speak. In his reply, the Congress leader asked whether the CM`s remarks, in the beginning, were part of his budget speech.

"Was that a part of his speech? It is not correct. You (pointing to BJP legislators) don`t have any respect, or honour left. If you stand up together and shout, do you think we will get scared? Just take your seats. The BJP government is all set to put flowers on the ears of people of the state," Siddaramaiah maintained.

Amid the chaos, Speaker Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri requested Siddaramaiah to allow CM Bommai to present his budget. Among the 600 assurances given by the ruling BJP not more than 50 were fulfilled from the last budget, the Congress leader said aloud.

Speaker Kageri again requested him to allow CM Bommai to read the budget. Siddaramaiah retaliated that they will not allow him to present the budget. He went on to state that BJP is presenting a bundle of lies and they run a factory of lies. Later, the budget session resumed and CM Bommai started the presentation of the budget.