Hubli:
Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy today questioned if the BJP became rich by selling tea across the country.
Hitting out at the BJP over its manifesto while addressing media in Hubli, Mr Kumaraswamy said, “BJP has stated in the manifesto that they will run a corruption-free government. What corruption free? Did Modi sell tea around the country and make the party rich? This claim of corruption free government of his is fake.”
“Around 78 lakhs (rupees) was recovered from one BJP leader in Karwar. Where did this money come from?” he asked.
Mr Kumaraswamy further said that he does not need to take lessons from PM Modi on patriotism.
His comments come after PM Modi slammed Congress and JD(S), which are in a coalition in Karnataka, over the February 26 Balakot air strike, accusing the two parties of misleading the people by “calling Balakot as Bagalkot”.
“Modi says I am not patriotic. I don’t need to learn patriotism from Modi. When Deve Gowda was the Prime Minister, there was not a single blast in Kashmir. That is our heritage. So do not brand me, you have no right,” Mr Kumaraswamy said.
“In speech after speech, he (Modi) talks about Balakot strikes. He says Pakistan is quaking. We know that Karnataka does not border with Pakistan. He (Modi) went to Pakistan and god knows what all he promised there”, he added.
On Thursday, while mentioning the Balakot air strike, PM Modi had said: “We had attacked terror camps in Pakistan. But some here were crying (for proof). Some people had even said that it was an attack in Bagalkot and not Balakot. Is your vote bank in Bagalkot or Balakot?”
Responding to a question on whether BJP leader Jagadish Shettar’s reported remark that he wanted to bring Mr Gowda’s wife Chennamma into politics, Mr Kumaraswamy termed it as “weird” and something which “pained him”.
“Jagadish Shettar said something which has pained me. He said Deve Gowda wants to bring his wife into politics. This is weird. She is not political. But she has worked for the poor in her 80 years of life with no political ambition,” he said.
Out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, 14 constituencies went to polls during the second phase of general elections on April 18. The remaining 14 seats will go to polls in the third phase on April 23. Counting of votes will take place on May 23.