KUMTA (UTTARA KANNADA): Brandishing the ‘B-report’ submitted by the CBI in the Paresh Mesta case, the Congress sounded the poll bugle in coastal Karnataka, claiming there had been no development during BJP rule, and that it had politically encashed cases of the dead, like Mesta.
The party promised to have an exclusive manifesto for development, and establish a full-fledged multispeciality hospital if the party comes to power. At a party convention to ‘Educate people about BJP’s misdeed — politicising the death of Paresh Mesta during the 2018 elections’, the Congress kickstarted its 2023 Assembly campaign.
At a rally of about 5,000 people, the party went hammer and tongs against the BJP, with allegations ranging from gaining power through the backdoor, zero development, communalisation, to rise in fuel prices and essential commodities.
KPCC President D K Shivakumar described the BJP as “corrupt and power-hungry” and alleged that voters’ names are going missing from the poll roll. “They have deleted names of voters who will not vote for them. I have complained to the Election Commission,” he said. He claimed that those who had left the party during Operation Lotus are returning.
Mentioning various irregularities and discontinuation of schemes like distribution of free rice, he said that mishandling of Covid-19 had cost the state over 4lakh lives.
Senior leader R V Deshpande appreciated former CM Siddaramaiah’s decision to hand over the Paresh Mesta case to the CBI. Describing the government as a failure, he said that none of the MLAs had managed to get any new project for the district. “Corruption is high. Essential commodities are out of reach of the common man. Youth are unemployed. Siddaramaiah had waived farmers’ loans and had genuine concern for the poor,” he said.
U T Khader mocked BJP leaders who visited houses of workers who were killed. “Their own workers drove them away. They don’t trust them,” he said.