BELAGAVI: BJP Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh on Thursday hit out at the Congress over its list of star campaigners for the Assembly polls.
“Several tainted leaders have been included by the Congress in its team of star campaigners for the polls. These include those who are facing cases for raising anti-national slogans and those who made insulting comments against women. That is why the Congress is going to suffer a historic loss in the coming election,’’ said Singh. On the other hand, he said the BJP in comparison had several great leaders, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on its list of star campaigners.
Slamming Jagadish Shettar for switching over to the Congress from the BJP, Singh said a leader would obviously criticise the party that he had quit. He added that the party had given Shettar everything, besides making him the chief minister.
When asked for his comments on Shettar’s statement that the state BJP leaders, mainly B L Santosh, were responsible for his exit, Singh said the latter was a tall leader of the BJP, who had dedicated himself to the party’s growth. “Criticising Santosh is like committing a sin,” he added.
Meanwhile, Singh, while not admitting whether Basavaraj Bommai is BJP’s CM face going into the May 10 polls, instead went on to state that Bommai, who is the party’s campaign committee head, had done a great job as the CM and always kept the image of a common man. Speaking to reporters in Belagavi on Thursday, Singh said the party would face the election under Bommai’s leadership, and based on the development work carried out in the state during his tenure.
BJP’s performance should help it win the polls hands down, he said, stating that the infrastructure development across the state implemented by the BJP government would help the party register victory.The party had chosen all its candidates in the state based on merit, and that 72 new faces had been fielded this time around, he said.
SHOBHA QUESTIONS IMRAN’S PRESENCE
Bengaluru: Union Minister of State for Agriculture, and State BJP Election Coordination Committee chairperson Shobha Karandlaje slammed the Congress for appointing Rajya Sabha member and Urdu poet Imran Pratapgarhi as a star campaigner for the polls. Shobha alleged that the Congress Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra, Pratapgarhi, sang praises of gangster Atiq Ahmed.
The Congress is using anti-social and anti-national elements in the elections, she added. Atiq, who had 102 cases including murder, rape, kidnapping, and other serious offenses registered against him, used to stay at Pratapgarhi’s house, she alleged. Atiq and his brother, Ashraf, were shot dead outside a hospital in Prayagraj recently.
Pratapgarhi, who was in Karnataka during the protests against Tipu Sultan Jayanti, had tried to instigate Muslims against Hindus, Shobha charged, further accusing Congress leader Siddaramaiah of being “anti-Hindu”. Siddaramaiah had rubbished such allegations made by the BJP leaders. Congress spokesperson Prof Gourav Vallabh hit back at the BJP leader and asked her to explain to the people about an Uttar Pradesh minister’s photograph with Atiq Ahmed.