Rahul slams Modi, says PM picked 8 tainted candidates

In a sharp response to Prime Minister Modi’s charges on corruption against the ruling Congress Government-led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Congress president Rahul Gandhi attacked Modi and said BJP had given tickets to 8 tainted candidates who are in the  fray. Rahul, who is on an election campaign in Karnataka on Thursday blasted PM Modi and  said he has no moral right to talk on corruption.

Addressing a road show in poll bound Karnataka, his seventh leg of campaign at Ankola in Uttara Kannada district he said "Modiji comes here and speaks about corruption. When (fugitive diamantaire) Nirav Modi, whom Narendra Modi knows very well knows by the first name, runs away with Rs 30,000 crore, he does not utter a word.”

"When he (Modi) stands on a stage, on his one side is Yeddyurappa, who has spent time in jail, on the other side there are four others, who have been to jail, and Modiji speaks about corruption," he added.

Prime Minister Modi in his first poll rally in Bengaluru had called Siddaramaiah Government as 10 percent sarkar.

"They have given tickets to eight corrupt persons. This is the truth," he said and referred to the controversial and influential Reddy brothers of Ballari, linked to the alleged iron ore mining scam. Even though recently Amit Shah had said in Mysuru that BJP has nothing do with Gali Janardhana Reddy, the tainted Reddy is back in to action and actively campaigning for his close associate B Sriramulu and other candidates in Hyderabad Karnataka. He was seen campaigning  along with Yeddyurappa for Sriramulu and it is an open secret that he is in the party. Apart from Sriramulu BJP has given tickets to two Reddy brothers.

"When in power, Yeddyurappa and Reddy Brothers looted Karnataka. Our Govt. brought them to justice. Now Mr Modi is trying to take 8 of them from jail, into the Vidhan Sabha. This is an insult to every honest citizen, to Karnataka and to the spirit of Basavanna (sic)," the Congress chief had tweeted.

"Support the Congress and we will work for the poor and needy. They feel that the money should go to the pockets of the five to 10 rich industrialists. This is the difference in ideology. We say the poor, the farmers, the marginalised and the people of Karnataka should get the benefits. They say the benefits should go to five to 10 rich businessmen," he said.

The Congress chief also hit out at the Centre over the alleged waiver of huge bank loans of industrialists, a benefit denied to the farmers.

"If you (Modi) don't want to waive the loans taken by the farmers, then make me understand, every year, why do you waive lakhs of crores of rupees of loans obtained by 10 rich industrialists of the country," he said and claimed that the Centre had waived loans amounting to Rs 2.5 lakh crore of 15 "super rich" people of the country.

He also tweeted and said “When in power, Yeddyurappa and Reddy Brothers looted Karnataka. Our Govt. brought them to justice. Now Mr Modi is trying to take 8 of them from jail, into the Vidhan Sabha. This is an insult to every honest citizen, to Karnataka and to the spirit of Basavanna”.