Siddaramaiah defends contentious remark on Gandhi's son; draws flak from BJP

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Bengaluru, July 29 (IANS) In a bid to discredit newly-appointed Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Siddaramaiah, on Thursday defended his controversial remark that 'Mahatma Gandhi's son turned into a drunkard'.

Siddaramaiah had made the contentious comment while reacting to the appointment of Basavaraja Bommai as the 30th Chief Minister of Karnataka, making a veiled reference to the latter's father, late S.R. Bommai, a former Chief Minister of the state and erstwhile Janata Dal leader who was known for his socialist ideology.

"It can't be said that present Chief Minister Bommai would get the character of his father," Siddaramaiah had said on Wednesday.

"What happened to Mahatma Gandhiji's son? Being the son of Mahatma Gandhi, he lost track. He turned out to be a drunkard. So it is unlikely that sons will have to inherit all the virtues of their fathers," Siddaramaiah had said.

Defending his statement on Thursday, the senior Congress leader said: "Mahatma Gandhi was a good man, but didn't his son become an alcoholic? I made the statement only to convey that sons don't always inherit all the good principles of their fathers."

Taking a dig at Siddaramaiah for his remarks, the BJP's state unit asked him as to how many of his virtues have been inherited by his son and Congress MLA Yathish Siddaramaiah?.

"The media has reported that your elder son Rakesh was an alcoholic. It was also reported that he had beaten up elders in an inebriated state. Can this be analysed as virtues gotten from the father," the BJP asked.

Generally, there is a chance of children inheriting chronic diseases from their parents, as etiquette, efficiency and character are developed by them on their own, the BJP maintained.

--IANS

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