Bagalkote, March 31 -- In a sharp escalation of the political battle ahead of the April 9 bypolls, BJP leader and Legislative Council LoP Chalavadi Narayanaswamy on Tuesday threw an open challenge to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, daring him to a public debate and declaring he would retire from politics if defeated.
Framing the contest as a direct face-off, Narayanaswamy said the debate should centre on alleged injustices to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, backward classes and minorities under the Congress government. "If the Chief Minister answers my questions satisfactorily, I will quit politics. If not, he must concede defeat and step down," the LoP asserted.
Taking the attack further, he questioned the future of the state's flagship...