‘Why did BJP pick Reddy brothers?’
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ATTACK Rahul questions Modi’s ‘authority’ to speak on corruption
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.
“However, Modi’s aim is to hand over the wealth of the state to the Reddy brothers. The Congress will not allow them to do this, and the BJP will know what the Congress in Karnataka is. We will drive out the BJP from Karnataka and Delhi,” Gandhi said.
Reacting to the statements, BJP state spokesperson S Pra- BENGALURU: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Thursday accused the Congress and the BJP of conspiring to dilute and attempting to slowly end reservations in the country. She also attacked the Congress and BJP of having pursued bad economic policies that had led to an increase in poverty and unemployment in the country. She said the policies of the two parties had also affected petty traders, labourers and farmers. “The BJP’S ill-thought-out move to demonetise currency and the hasty introduction of the Goods and Services Tax have added to these issues.”
kash said Gandhi clearly did not have any issues and hence was raking up non-issues. “Janaradhana Reddy is not part of the BJP and is campaigning by himself. This is just a ploy to divert attention from the people’s resolve to vote out the Congress,” he said.