In Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi slams state govt as ‘country’s most corrupt’

Attacking the Karnataka government as a "40% commission government", the Congress MP said the biggest responsibility of state Congress leaders is to fight unitedly and win 150 seats in the Assembly polls next year.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi interacts with KPCC President DK Shivakumar during a meeting with Congress MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other state leaders, at KPCC office, in Bengaluru, Friday, April 1, 2022. (PTI Photo)

Written by: Darshan Devaiah BP

3 min readBengaluruApr 1, 2022 05:39 PM IST First published on: Apr 1, 2022 at 05:22 PM IST

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday slammed the BJP government in Karnataka as the country’s most corrupt government and exhorted his party workers to win at least 150 seats in the state Assembly elections scheduled next year.

“The BJP is working on a financial transfer mechanism; take money from the poor and give it to a handful of rich businessmen in the country,” Gandhi said while addressing a party meeting in Bengaluru.

“The Prime Minister used to speak about corruption, but if he speaks about it in Karnataka, the people will laugh as the BJP government in the state is the most corrupt with a 40 per cent commission government,” he added.

“Unemployment and inflation have increased in the country. These are the biggest issues in the country. Even if the BJP wants, they cannot provide jobs to people in the country because they have destroyed the employment-providing sectors,” he said.

On a two-day visit to Karnataka, the Lok Sabha MP from Kerala’s Wayanad held meetings with senior Congress leaders in the state and addressed the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee’s (KPCC) extended executive meeting at the party’s state headquarters in Bengaluru.

“In Karnataka, we should win with a minimum of 150 seats and fight united on the right issues and with merit as criteria,” he said, adding that the biggest responsibility for party leaders Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar, Mallikarjun Kharge and others is to fight together and win the 150 seats.

“We should focus on the youth and women in this election while giving tickets or in the organisation of the party. I have full confidence that the Congress will win with a clear majority and give a government that works for the poor, small traders and all sections,” he said.

Gandhi had on Thursday attended an event marking the 115th birth anniversary of Sri Shivakumar Swamiji, considered a ‘walking God’ in the state’s Tumakuru.

On Friday, the Siddaganga Mutt hosted the main event of the ‘Guru Vandane’ programme to honour Sri Shivakumar Swamiji. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also took part in the event in the morning.

The Siddaganga Mutt is an influential religious institution among the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community in the state. The Lingayats are one of the dominant communities in the state and are estimated to make up about 17 per cent of its population.

# Rahul Gandhi