Countering the Congress questioning the frequent tours of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Karnataka, the BJP on Tuesday asked why Rahul Gandhi, who does not enjoy any position, is visiting the State again.
Addressing presspersons here, K. Monappa Bhandary, former BJP MLC, said that Mr. Gandhi, who lost his Lok Sabha membership recently, is not holding any position in the Congress now. “In such a situation in what capacity is he (Mr. Gandhi) being made to tour the State?”
He alleged that Mr. Gandhi had “insulted India” by speaking against the country abroad and asked why was the Congress making such a person tour the State and address people.
Mr. Bhandary said that the Congress which wants to use Karnataka as its “ATM” becomes nervous whenever Mr. Modi visits the State. Mr. Modi as a Prime Minister can tour any part of the country at any time, he said.
The former MLC said that the Congress appointing Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi in the list of its star campaigners for the Assembly elections showed its “intellectual bankruptcy” as Mr. Pratapgarhi had written a poem in praise of slain gangster from Uttar Pradesh Atiq Ahmed. He had also called him his guru. “It showed the continued appeasement policy of the Congress,” he said.
Mr. Bhandary said that All-India Congress Committee (AICC) president M. Mallikarjun Kharge stating at a public rally that the Congress high command will decide who should be the Chief Minister indicated that Mr. Kharge is also in the race for the post along with former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC chief D. K. Shivakumar.
He said that the NIA arresting the son (who was a student at an engineering college in Mangaluru) of a Congress leader in Udupi and wife of the son of a former Congress MLA of erstwhile Ullal (now Mangaluru) Assembly constituency last year showed the link of Congress workers with those involved in terrorist activities.
