Congress leader Rahul Gandhi trained his guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his failure to address the issue of alleged corruption by the BJP government in Karnataka.
Speaking at an election rally in Chamarajanagar near here on Monday, Mr. Gandhi said the Prime Minister remains mum on the alleged corruption during the BJP regime in Karnataka that has earned notoriety as a “40 percent commission” Government.
Though the Contractors’ Association of Karnataka wrote to him a letter alleging the demand for 40 percent commission by the representatives of the government to clear the bills of the contractors, Mr. Modi did not even bother to reply to the letter, he said. Mr. Gandhi also cited the seizure of ₹8 crore from the residence of a BJP MLA’s son recently in the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited scandal as a case in point.
Whenever the Prime Minister visits Karnataka, he does not speak anything about the issue of alleged corruption that has raged in Karnataka for the last three years, Mr. Gandhi lamented. “He should say what he did to stop the 40 percent commission in Karnataka. Did he take any action? Did he send anybody to jail or order a probe,” Mr. Gandhi questioned.
Instead, Mr. Modi complains about the attack on him by the Congress. “This election is not about you Mr. Modi,” he said, adding that the ensuing elections in Karnataka was about the youth of Karnataka, its farmers and farm labourers. Mr Gandhi also pointed out that the ensuing elections was about the people of the State, the future of their children, schools, universities, hospitals etc.
“Stop talking about yourself and speak about the people,” Mr. Gandhi urged Mr. Modi.
He lamented that Mr. Modi neither spoke about the unemployment nor about the floods that ravaged Karnataka a few years ago. He called upon the people of the State to restrict the BJP to 40 seats in the coming elections while ensuring Congress victory in 150 seats. He assured the gathering that the promises made by the Congress party to the people of the State will become law in the first Cabinet meeting after the party comes to power in the State.
The promises include payment of ₹2,000 every month to the women head of the family, 200 units of free power, 10 kg of free rice, ₹3,000 and ₹1,500 Yuva Nidhi to the unemployment graduates and diploma holders respectively, besides free travel to women in government buses.
AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal and other Congress leaders were present on the occasion.
