Shah dubs Siddaramaiah govt “corrupt, malicious, oppressive”

Says, will go to Pataal to hunt down killers of RSS workers

BJP president Amit Shah on Thursday hit out at the Siddaramaiah government, dubbing it “a corrupt, malicious and oppressive” regime and asked the people to “root it out” in the upcoming assembly polls.

Addressing a party rally here, Shah accused the Congress of behaving like as it did during the Emergency.

He lashed out at the party for its “role” in supporting a statewide bandh on Thursday on the state’s row with Goa on sharing Mahadayi river water.

Shah’s rally as part of the “Parivarthana Yatra” by the state BJP came amid the bandh called by pro-Kannada outfits seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention on the Mahadayi water sharing issue.

Pro-Kannada outfits have also called a Bengaluru Bandh on February 4, when Modi will be here to address a rally, with the BJP seeing the shutdown as a “politically motivated” move instigated by the ruling Congress to synchronise with the visits of the prime minister and BJP chief.

“Congress is even now behaving like it did during the emergency by deploying police to hold off supporters and by organising Mahadayi bandhs matching my and Prime Minister Narendra Modiji’s Parivartana Yatra address,” he said.

Shah said despite “desperate attempt” to disrupt the rally here by organising the bandh, “we have managed to hold it and been successful at it.”

“Siddaramaiah-led Congress also wants to disrupt Modi’s rally to be held on February 4,” he said.

The BJP chief said despite these obstructionist tactics, Congress party and Siddaramaiah would not be able to stop BJP from forming the government because people of Karnataka have decided on a change.

BJP sources claimed that Shah’s rally was attended by close to 50,000 people, ignoring the bandh call.

Shah also accused the Siddaramaiah government of indulging in “appeasement politics” for the sake of votes.

Shah said within four years, more than 20 activists of BJP and RSS had been killed.

He asked as to why cases against Social Democratic Party of India, political arm of the Popular Front of India, which the party is holding responsible for the killings, were withdrawn.

“I want to ask Siddaramaiah whether he is certifying SDPI. Why were the cases withdrawn?,” he asked.

“I want to tell Siddaramaiah government and all its associates that martyrdom of our 20 workers' won’t go in vain. Once we come to power, we will hunt down the killers, even if they are in pataal and send them to jail,” Shah said.

Taking on the Congress government on graft, he alleged that the Siddaramaiah government has crossed all boundaries of corruption.