Senior MLC H. Vishwanath has launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for claiming that he has broken the record of former chief minister D. Devaraj Urs, calling the statement “the joke of the year 2026.” Vishwanath made these remarks after meeting Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar at Sadashivanagar on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, Vishwanath said Devaraj Urs was a towering leader who shaped an entire generation of politicians and administrators in Karnataka. “Devaraj Urs made all of us what we are today. There is no comparison between him and Siddaramaiah. Saying that Urs’s record has been broken is laughable,” he said.

He accused Siddaramaiah of repeatedly insulting Devaraj Urs and even former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the past. “I don’t think anyone has abused Devaraj Urs and Indira Gandhi as much as Siddaramaiah has. But today, he suddenly invokes Urs’s name for political convenience,” Vishwanath remarked, questioning the Chief Minister’s sincerity.

Highlighting Urs’s contribution to social justice, Vishwanath recalled the historic implementation of the Havanur Commission report. “It was Devaraj Urs who accepted the Havanur report and ensured representation for backward classes. If today there are officers from backward communities in the system, it is because of Urs,” he said.

He also criticised the Congress leadership for allegedly shelving reports and policies at the behest of the high command. “You threw away reports simply because Rahul Gandhi said so. Siddaramaiah doesn’t even speak about Congress ideology anymore. All he talks about is AHINDA. For him, AHINDA alone is Congress,” Vishwanath charged.

Taking a swipe at the Chief Minister’s leadership style, Vishwanath said there is no peace or prosperity in the state. “There is no stability, no sense of welfare governance.

Devaraj Urs has no equal. Comparing anyone to him is an insult to his legacy,” he said.

Questioning Siddaramaiah’s claim of being an AHINDA leader, Vishwanath remarked, “What kind of AHINDA leader is he? There is no gratitude in him. He does not nurture young leadership. He sits holding on to the high command’s hammer, not knowing when it will strike.”

Vishwanath’s comments come amid an intensifying political debate over Siddaramaiah’s attempts to project himself in the legacy of Devaraj Urs, a move that has drawn criticism not only from the opposition BJP but also from leaders within the Congress ecosystem.