New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the Karnataka government saying the BJP government in the southern state is the 'most corrupt' government in the country.
Addressing the party members at the Congress headquarters in Bengaluru, Gandhi stepped up his attack saying, “BJP is working on a financial transfer mechanism - take money from the poor and give it to a handful of rich businessmen in the country.”
"Modi earlier used to talk about corruption wherever he went. Now, if he says that he is fighting for corruption, the people will not believe as the BJP government is demanding 40 per cent commission from the contractors in the state,” news agency IANS quoted the leader as saying.
Rahul Gandhi, a Lok Sabha MP from Kerala's Wayanad, is on a two-day visit to Karnataka, that is slated to hold an Assembly election next year.
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Gandhi was accompanied by DK Shivakumar, the party's state unit chief, and former chief minister Siddaramaiah, who is also the leader of the opposition. Party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, campaign committee chairman MB Patil, former union minister KH Muniyappa, and other senior state party leaders were also present during the occasion.
Sounding the poll bugle, Gandhi spoke about three points for his party to be elected to power in the southern state.
"Not less than 150 seats in Karnataka in upcoming Assembly elections. Congress leaders Siddaramaiah, D.K. Shivakumar and Mallikarjun Kharge should work jointly and put up a united front," he said.
Continuing his potshots at the state government, he said that the Karnataka government is not a legitimate one and that it has been made with the help of money power.
"We have to be sure. We shouldn't aim to win elections by a close margin. We have to be clear about winning 150 seats. This is not a difficult task. It's easy if we get together to voice the right issues and promote people on merit basis within the party," IANS quoted Gandhi as saying.
“The tickets will not be given based on what a person has done 20 years ago. The focus should be on what the person is doing today," Gandhi said, adding, “When we come to power in Karnataka, we are going to defend issues that we are fighting for and reward workers who have given their blood and sweat for the party."
It is to be noted that the grand old party faced a huge debacle in the recently concluded elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa.