BJP national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka P Muralidhar Rao on Tuesday accused the Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi of trying to influence and change the direction of investigation in the Gauri Lankesh murder case.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Rao took exception to Rahul’s recent comment that those ‘who do not accept the BJP and RSS are not just attacked but also killed’. “Why is Rahul Gandhi trying to create a smokescreen ? Whom is he trying to protect ? This is a misinformation campaign filled with mischief and malice. It is a deliberate attempt to divert the investigation. I have doubts about the intentions of the government,” the BJP leader said.
Rao also charged the government with creating an environment in the state that is encouraging radicalisation among Muslims. “For the sake of vote bank, the Congress government is supporting narrow, sectarian fundamentalists among Muslims. This has created a security threat not only for Karnataka but also for the country,” he stated.
Coming down heavily on the state government on the issue of corruption, Rao said, “The Siddaramaiah government is the most corrupt and most shameless in the history of independent India. Practice of thievery is its nature. The BJP will fight tooth and nail against corruption and mal-administration of the Congress government.”
Alleging that sincere officers are hounded out, he said, “By doing this, the government is sending out a message that professional competency is not valued.”
Rao said that the BJP was ready to accept the challenge posed by AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal for an open debate on the issue of corruption and mal-administration of the state government.