Bengaluru, Dec 18 : On Monday, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, stated that he hoped that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would set aside petty politics during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and act for the benefit of the people of the state. Ashoka stated, "Hopefully, I assume that to safeguard the interests of the state and the 6.5 crore people of Karnataka, Mr. Siddaramaiah would display the character of a statesman and a responsible Chief Minister." "It is not only the responsibility but also the duty of the Chief Minister to have good bonding with the central government in a federal system. However, for CM Siddaramaiah, making politically-motivated charges and baseless allegations against the central government seems to be a priority rather than the interest of the state," Ashoka slammed. After witnessing his charges against Modi in the recently-concluded Winter Session of Parliament, it seems that for Siddaramaiah, satisfying the Congress high command is more important than protecting the interests of the people of Karnataka, he stated. 'In a federal system, states and the Union Government have constitutional responsibilities. Prime Minister Modi, who served as the Chief Minister of a state for 12 years, has more understanding of the limitations of state governments, its requirements, and aspirations, as compared to any other Prime Minister,' Ashoka stated. Siddaramaiah has continuously targeted the BJP and Modi for not giving an appointment to discuss drought and other crisis situations in the state. He openly challenged BJP leaders in Karnataka to get him an appointment with Modi. He is finally set to meet Modi on Tuesday morning at 11:30 am in New Delhi to discuss the drought in Karnataka and seek more funds. /IANS