Savarkar a murderer, says Siddaramaiah
Mangaluru, Oct 18: Calling Veer Savarkar a murderer, former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed the BJP on Friday for its plan to bestow Bharat Ratna to him posthumously.
He said Savarkar was one of the accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, but the charges could not be proved due to lack of evidence and he was freed.
"The murderer of Mahatma Gandhi is getting Bharat Ratna! Those who conspired to eliminate Gandhiji are getting Bharat Ratna!
Should BJP be allowed to gain a foothold in Mangaluru, known as a land of intellectuals?" Siddaramaiah asked party workers at a meeting here.
The Maharashtra BJP unit had said in its election manifesto that the party would ask the Centre to confer the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, popularly known as Veer Savarkar.
Claiming that the accused in 90 out of 100 cases are acquitted, Siddaramaiah alleged that Savarkar was part of the conspiracy to assassinate Gandhi.
"Now they have moved ahead to bestow Bharat Ratna to him! What will happen to the nation? That's why somebody said you give it (Bharat Ratna) to(Nathuram) Godse too.
Godse was the one who assassinated Gandhiji," he said.
Alleging that RSS and Hindu Mahasabha never took part in the freedom struggle, the former chief minister said they all had ganged up with the British.
The Congress leader charged that the Sangh Parivar, including BJP, diverted peoples attention from real issues in the last Lok Sabha elections.
He conceded that the Congress could not convince people of their achievements to counter the 'communal campaign' of the BJP government at the Centre.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the country was facing an economic crisis due to demonetisation and irrational implementation of GST.
He predicted that the BJP government in Karnataka would not survive beyond the assembly by-elections in December.
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Cong's Wayanad housing project delayed due to lack of timely clearance from Left govt: Priyanka
Wayanad(Kerala) (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday claimed that the party's housing project for victims of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslides was delayed due to lack of clearances from the ruling Left government in Kerala.
Priyanka, addressing a UDF corner meeting at Kalpetta here, claimed that the clearances were given for the project of Congress only after the township of the LDF was inaugurated.
"I am sure my colleagues in the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) faced the same problems," she contended.
Her remarks come amidst allegations of irregularities against Congress in connection with its collection of funds for the Wayanad housing project and utilisation of the money, putting the party on the back foot.
Priyanka also attacked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, questioning why there were no cases against him, despite facing several corruption accusations, when those opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP are facing probes by central agencies.
"So, it is clear that they have a secret deal and they are working together for their own political benefit," she alleged.
She further alleged that during the last 10 years of LDF rule in Kerala, there has been widespread corruption, an increase in unemployment, the state has been put under an immense financial debt, and taxes have gone up, making life difficult for the people.
Referring to the increasing man-animal conflict in the hill-regions, the Congress MP from Wayanad said that political will and working together are required for finding a solution to this problem, but the LDF was not up for the task.
She urged voters to cast their ballot in favour of the UDF in the April 9 polls as "the LDF works for the corporates and not the common people".
