BENGALURU: An audio clip of BJP candidate from the Chittapur Assembly constituency, Manikanth Rathod, allegedly threatening to “finish off” the family members of AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge has gone viral. In the audio clip, a Rathod follower is heard telling him, “Kharge Sahebru will initiate legal action on the 44 cases against you that have been stayed.”
Rathod, without mentioning Kharge’s name, is heard allegedly telling his follower that he would “finish off” the wife and children (hendti makkalanna saf madibidtidde).
Addressing a press conference here, Surjewala said, "I am going to play for you an audio recording of an assassination plot to wipe out none less than the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge, his wife, and his entire family as being hatched by the BJP leaders. There can be nothing more serious than that."
He added that "the assassination plots have entered the electoral discourse of Karnataka and this was the lowest political discourse anyone can stoop to."
"Intimidated by the all-round blessings of Kannadigas being showered on the Congress party and facing a complete rout in the ensuing Karnataka election, the BJP leaders are now hatching a plot to murder Sri Mallikarjun Kharge as also his family members," Surjewala alleged.
He also alleged the Chittapur candidate is a "blue-eyed boy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai."
Congress has filed a complaint with the ECI, stating, “It is a conspiracy against Kharge and his family. In 2022, Rathod had stated that he would “shoot” Priyank Kharge, Congress MLA from Chittapur and Kharge’s son. The complaint was filed by former MLC Ramesh Babu.”
On Saturday, Priyank referred to the audio clip while addressing an election meeting in Chittapur and said he has seen many such Rathods.
Rathod denied that he threatened to kill Kharge, his wife and children. He filed a complaint at the cyber crime police station in Kalaburagi on Saturday, stating that the audio clip “released by AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala” is fake.
KPCC chief DK Shivakumar said, “It’s deeply disturbing that a BJP leader was caught conspiring to wipe of Kharge.”