Cong counters 'Seedha Rupaiya' taunt with 'Namage Mosa' jibe

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi dubbed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah government as Seedha Rupaiya (direct commission) Sarkar, it was the turn of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president Dinesh Gundu Rao to hit back.

"We also have a name for the prime minister - NaMo, which stands for Namage Mosa," Rao told reporters on Wednesday. Namage Mosa translates to 'we are cheated'.

During the BJP rally at Davangere on Tuesday, Modi came up with the 'Seedha Rupaiya' remark, while accusing the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of corruption.

Rao said the Seedha Rupaiya jibe was more appropriate for BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa. "It was Yeddyurappa to whom a cheque went directly. Also, Modi should be talking about the Nirav Modi fraud. Instead, he is stooping to low levels by making cheap remarks. It is unbecoming of the prime minister," Rao said.

Modi is trying to divert attention from important issues through the arrest of Karti Chidambaram, the son of Congress leader P Chidambaram, Rao charged. "The Chidambarams are being repeatedly hounded," he added.

Rao also ruled out Shantinagar legislator N A Haris' prospects of getting a ticket being affected because of the assault case in which his son Mohammed Nalapad Haris is involved.