‘WHY DID BJP PICK REDDY BROTHERS?’

BENGALURU: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misleading the people of the country about his fight against corruption, saying he had shown his true intent by fielding the controversial Reddy brothers of Ballari, linked to the alleged iron ore mining scam.

Karunakara and Somashekhara, two brothers of the alleged kingpin of mining scam, G Janardhana Reddy, are contesting the Karnataka polls on BJP tickets.

Gandhi, back in Karnataka for the seventh leg of his poll campaign, questioned Modi’s authority to speak on corruption while being surrounded by BJP leaders accused of financial wrongdoing.

“The Reddy brothers have been given eight tickets. They came out of jail and Modi gave them a clean chit. Explain to us why Reddy brothers were given eight tickets. Why are you supporting the corrupt? But the press cannot question because they cannot go near him. He only tells the country his Mann ki Baat,” Gandhi said.

He also attacked the central government over the recent spate of rapes. “Earlier, Modi said Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, but look across the country, attacks against women and rapes have increased.”

The Congress president also slammed the BJP for “inciting violence”.

“In Haryana, they engineered a fight between Jats and other communities, and in Maharashtra they did the same. The country knows that Modi only spreads hatred and cannot be trusted to take us forward,” Gandhi said.

“His mood has changed. He doesn’t even come to Parliament. He talks about corruption but is not letting parliament function, because if he does, the Congress will question him,” Gandhi said.

Highlighting the welfare measures of the Siddaramaiah government in the state, Gandhi said the Congress party’s aim was to make the people of Karnataka feel it was their government.