SURATHKAL: Unleashing an all-out attack on the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, BJP President Amit Shah today dubbed it as "goonda governance" and the "most corrupt" in the country and said the countdown for its exit has begun.
If there was to be a competition for the most corrupt government, the award for the last five years would go to the one headed by Siddaramaiah, he said.
"People of Karnataka are disillusioned with 3 Ms -- Murder, Mafia Raj and Corrupt Ministers. People want to move towards good governance from Goonda governance. They want to get rid of goonda governance and want to move towards good governance under (state BJP chief B S) Yeddyurappa," he said.
Shah, who spoke to reporters at Surathkal and addressed a public meeting at Bantwal, said, "Congress party's time has now come to an end. On the day of counting Congress government will not be here, it will be BJP government."
The BJP president launched his tour of the communally sensitive Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada districts in the coastal region in poll-bound Karnataka, where the party has a strong presence and is trying to consolidate it further.
"This government has been the most corrupt government. There is evidence of corruption at every step," Shah said at Surathkal.
Pointing to killings of RSS and BJP activists in the state, Shah said, "I had never seen such ideological and political victimisation in my life."
He questioned the state government on withdrawal of cases against activists of Islamic outfit Popular Front of India and its political wing Social Democratic Party of India and also on a circular from the Home Department regarding withdrawal of cases against "innocent" minorities.
The circular was later withdrawn by the government.
At the Bantwal rally, Shah accused the Siddaramaiah government of pursuing "appeasement and vote bank politics".
Shah said one after the other more than 20 BJP and RSS activists had been killed in the state.
The BJP has been targeting the Siddaramaiah government consistently over a series of killings of Hindu activists by alleged "Jehadi forces," and accused it of adopting a "soft approach" towards them as part of the Congress' "vote bank"and "minorities appeasement" politics.
He also referred to the recent incident involving Mohammed Nalapad Haris, son of a Congress MLA and himself a party leader, who triggered outrage by assaulting a man in a pub-cum-restaurant.
Shah said the filing of an FIR was delayed because the accused was from a minority community.
"The son of a Congress MLA assaults a man twice but no FIR is registered.This is appeasement politics.It will not be tolerated," he said.
In his public rally, Shah referred to the victim Vidwat as a BJP worker but later clarified at the press conference that it was a "factual mistake" but thank you (the media), you at least took it up for discussion.because of my factual mistake the issue is being discussed, I thank you wholeheartedly," he said.
Nalapad Haris, son of Congress MLA N A Haris, had yesterday surrendered before police amid high drama and was booked for attempt to murder.
Police have registered a case against Nalapad for various offences, including attempt to murder and criminal intimidation, under the Indian Penal Code.
He was later produced before the magisterial court, which remanded him to two-day police custody.