Karnataka: Rahul Gandhi fears post-poll corrupt practices by BJP

Bengaluru: Stating that the BJP may take to ‘corrupt’ practices such as poaching MLAs in Karnataka, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday expressed apprehension about the saffron party using money to grab power in the state.

The Congress leader was referring to BJP dislodging the JDS-Congress alliance in the state in 2019 after poaching opposition MLAs.

Speaking at the ‘Jai Bharat Satyagraha Yatra’ in Kolar, Rahul Gandhi appealed to the electorate to vote for Congress nominees in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly election and elect as many as 150 MLAs from the Congress so that the ‘corrupt’ practices of the BJP will fail. He also expressed happiness over Congress leaders in the state fighting together to win the election.

The BJP would take to ‘corrupt’ practices to gain power using money it has amassed by collecting 40 per cent commission on government works, he claimed.

Rahul Gandhi also expressed confidence of the Congress coming to power in Karnataka, and told leaders to fulfill assurances made to the voters, such as 200 units of free power, Rs 2,000 allowance for women members of a household, Rs. 3,000 unemployment allowances for the graduates, Rs. 1,500 for diploma holders and 10 kgs of rice per month for poor families.

"These schemes will be implemented on the first day of the first Cabinet meeting itself," Rahul Gandhi said.

He also asked Congress leaders in Karnataka to send a message all over the country that "if Prime Minister Narendra Modi can give thousands of crores to Adani, we can give money to the poor and women."

Taking at dig at Modi, he said "If you wholeheartedly help Adani, we (the Congress) will wholeheartedly help the poor, unemployed youth and women. You (the PM) do your work; we will do our work."

Launching an attack on Modi by raking the Adani "corruption" issue, Gandhi reiterated that he was not scared of the BJP government at the Centre.

It was over his remarks on the Modi surname, during the Lok Sabha election campaign in Kolar in 2019, that the Congress leader was convicted of criminal defamation and stripped of his Parliament membership last month.

In his first visit to Karnataka after the Assembly polls were announced, Gandhi sought to know Modi's "relation" with businessman Gautam Adani.

"Till the time I get the reply, I will keep asking this question. You disqualify me, jail me or do whatever you want; I will not be scared," he added.

He also attacked the Basavaraj Bommai government in Karnataka over corruption issues, including allegations by contractors and private schools that they were forced to pay "40 per cent commission" and charges of "corruption" in recruitment of sub-inspectors.

The Congress leader alleged that the contractors' association had written a letter on the issue of "40 per cent commission" to the Prime Minister, who chose to remain silent. This was a "confession" that there indeed was corruption, he claimed.