BELAGAVI: The Assistant Returning Officer of Kagwad has issued notice to Kagwad Congress MLA Raju Kage for violating the model code of conduct, and ordered him to respond within 24 hours.
He was charged with commenting on the personal matter of another individual during his election campaign. Kage had reportedly spoken lightly of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and slammed the PM’s young supporters for chanting his name. He asked them whether there was nobody else fit to become PM, if the latter was no more.
Kage had expressed anger over the continued chants of Modi’s followers while he was addressing a Congress rally at Madanbhavi village, in his constituency near Belagavi. He also reportedly threatened voters of Jugul and Mangavati villages with power cuts if they did not give his party a substantial lead.
Taking to X, the BJP Karnataka unit lambasted Kage for speaking about Modi, and said he had become prime minister with the blessings of 140 crore people of the country. Posting video footage of Kage’s speech, the party said, “Kagwad MLA Raju Kage has let his boneless tongue loose again. If the cowards do not have issues to raise, they await Narendra Modi’s death.’’
Despite his claims that crores of jobs would be created for the youth, Kage said the PM failed to keep his promises and lakhs of graduates in the country are jobless today. “When the youth asked the PM to create jobs for them, he told them to sell pakodas,’’ he added. Kage had stated that he was also a graduate and capable of leading the country effectively (as PM of India). He said many voters want a Congress government in the state but need Modi when it came to the LS polls.