PM, BJP spreading misinformation, industries leaving Maharashtra: K'taka minister Priyank Kharge
Pune, Nov 15: Karnataka minister and senior Congress leader Priyank Kharge on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP were spreading misinformation and were not interested in development.
Kharge, the southern state's IT minister, said this "factory of misinformation" started when Modi was chief minister of Gujarat and "was dreaming of becoming PM".
"The job of this factory is to spread misinformation, disinformation, fake news and give birth to lies. When he was CM, it was just a factory. By the time he became PM, the factory was elevated to a full-fledged industry," alleged Kharge, who is the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
"The PM and BJP have no interest in development, particularly Maharashtra's development. Earlier, Karnataka's competition was with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. But now we do not have any competition with Maharashtra," he claimed underlining the Congress' routine assertion that industries were shifting from the Eknath Shinde-ruled state.
Karnataka used to vie with Maharashtra for investment in IT and biotechnology sectors but that is not the case anymore as the latter is not in the race, he further claimed.
"Pune and Bengaluru were twin cities. What happened? How come Bengaluru has gone ahead? The reason is the PM is secretly moving projects from Maharashtra to Gujarat. I am not saying this. The Congress is not saying this. This is from government of India data," he claimed.
Kharge claimed the Tata Airbus project was supposed to be set up in Maharashtra but finally shifted to Gujarat.
"We also tried. When I insisted for Karnataka, I was told the project is going to Maharashtra because it had conducive ecosystem for the project. A project worth Rs 22,000 crore, how did it go to Vadodara (in Gujarat)?" he claimed.
How come the project went to Gujarat when Mumbai is the financial capital, Pune is the skill capital and a lot of talent is in Maharashtra, he questioned.
Kharge claimed the Vedanta Foxconn semiconductor project was supposed to be set up in Pune but went to Gujarat, and so did a medical device park.
"My appeal to the people of Maharashtra is to vote for the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the Congress. If it goes to Mahayuti, then there will be Adani government here," he claimed, adding that NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had spoken about the billionaire industrialist being part of efforts to bring down the MVA government.
If people want a "puppet" government under which projects will leave the state and go to Gujarat, then they can vote for the Mahayuti comprising the BJP, Shinde's Shiv Sena and NCP, the Karnataka IT minister said.
When Modi and the BJP make promises, they call it "Modi ki guarantee" and "masterstroke" but when Congress announces schemes, they will call it "revdi" (freebies), he said.
"They just give catchy slogans but in reality work does not take place," Kharge said in a swipe at the BJP.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
