Pakistan safe for Siddaramaiah to contest polls, claims BJP leader C T Ravi

Chikkamagaluru, Jan 23: BJP National General Secretary C T Ravi on Monday claimed that Pakistan would be a safe place for Congress leader Siddaramaiah to contest the polls as it suited the former Karnataka chief minister's ''mindset''.

The Chikkamagaluru MLA took a dig at Siddaramaiah in response to a question about the former chief minister's wish to contest from Kolar, touted to be a safe seat, in the forthcoming assembly polls.

''In my opinion, Pakistan is safe for him (Siddaramaiah),'' Ravi said.

Speaking to reporters, he said, ''For his mindset, Pakistan is safe, as there is no (Prime Minister) Modi or (CM) Basavaraj Bommai or (former CM) Yediyurappa there. If he goes there, there will also be no D K Shivakumar (KPCC chief) or G Parameshwara (Congress leader) or Kharge (AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge) to trouble him there. So, Pakistan is safe.'' Earlier this month, Siddaramaiah had announced that he would be contesting the polls from Kolar, if the party high command agrees.

Siddaramaiah, in the 2018 assembly polls, had contested from two seats - Chamundeshwari and Badami - but won only in the second seat.