PM Modi directly involved in Rafale scam: Congress

BENGALURU:  Senior Congress leaders on Friday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused him of being directly involved in the Rafale scam and efforts to destabilise the coalition government in Karnataka.

Addressing party workers in Bengaluru, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said since the PM is directly involved in the Rafale deal, he is not in a position to answer Congress’ questions.

“The BJP and Modi will be out of power after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. In Karnataka, Congress and JD(S) will win all 28 seats,” he said. He, however, cautioned the party leaders not to be overconfident and work hard.

“Under Modi, the PMO has become ‘Promotion and Marketing Office’ for many industrialists. The PMO has lost its sanctity and Modi has lowered the dignity of the Prime Minister’s Office,” said senior Congress leader HK Patil. 

Former CM and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) chief Siddaramaiah said, “Modi is the biggest liar I have ever seen and it is an insult to the people of this country that he is our PM.”  He further said that the PM calls himself as "Chowkidar" (watchman), but the Rs 40,000 crore Rafale scam is the biggest scam in the history of the defence ministry. “I dare BJP leaders for a debate on development works taken up during Congress government and the BJP governments,” he added.

Kharge: PM in the know of K’taka developments
The leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjuna Kharge, accused Prime Minister Modi of supporting his party leaders’ attempts to topple the government in Karnataka by poaching Congress MLAs. “On Jan 16, after a meeting at his residence, the PM asked me about developments in Karnataka. I told him that he knows it better as his party is trying to topple the Congress-JD(S) government,” Kharge stated.