Former Minister and Congress leader Sharanprakash Patil made a serious allegation that the BJP-led State government was trying to silence former Minister and Chittapur MLA Priyank Kharge by hatching a conspiracy to kill him.
Addressing a press conference in Kalaburagi on Saturday, Mr. Patil said that a BJP party worker has threatened to kill Mr. Kharge during a press conference. Mr. Kharge took the BJP-led government head on and exposed the corruption and series of scams, including Bitcoin, PSI and Ganga Kalyana, which took place during the BJP’s tenure. So the government has hatched a conspiracy to silence the leader, he said.
Mr. Patil also accused the State government of withdrawing the security cover provided to Mr. Kharge, immediately after the Congress-JD(S) coalition government toppled and BJP came to power. “I strongly condemn how the State government has withdrawn the security cover of Mr. Kharge, when there was a life threat to him. Mr. Kharge got threatening calls for exposing the government’s corruption and we lodged a complaint at Sadashiva Nagar Police station at Bengaluru,” Mr. Patil added.
Alleging that BJP was utilising its party worker Manikanth Rathod as pawn to settle their scores, he said Mr. Rathod had openly threatened to kill Mr. Kharge, during a press conference in Kalaburagi. Mr. Patil urged the State government and BJP leaders to clarify their stand on his [Mr. Rathod’s] controversial statement against the leader.
The Congress leaders submitted a memorandum to Kalaburagi Superintend of Police and urged to file a complaint against Mr. Rathod.
This came a day after Mr. Rathod held a press conference and threatened to kill the former Minister. “If you [Priyank] shoot us, we are also ready to shoot you,“ said Mr. Rathod at a press conference on Friday.
The controversy erupted on November 8 after the BJP workers at Chittapur town put up missing posters of Mr. Kharge across the town, when the leader was participating in Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Meanwhile, the Congress workers too took out a protest against the former zilla panchayat member Arvind Chauhan, who along with his followers pasted the posters on Mr. Kharge.
