Shah warns more corruption in Karnataka if Congress re-elected

Mysuru (Karnataka): Equating the Congress with corruption, BJP National President Amit Shah on Saturday cautioned the Karnataka voters against re-electing the ruling party on May 12 as it would result in more graft in the southern state.

"If the same party (Congress) is re-elected and forms the government, then corruption will turn into a tsunami wave," Shah told the media here on the second-day of his visit to the state's old Mysuru region.

Claiming that the people wanted to oust the corrupt Congress from power, the party chief said the ruling party had turned the state government into an 'ATM' of corruption for itself.

"The Karnataka government is nothing but the 'ATM' of corruption for the Congress," Shah said.

Noting that 3,500 farmers had allegedly committed suicide across the state over the last four years due to agrarian crisis, Shah it was unfortunate Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had termed the death of so many farmers as a conspiracy.

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"It's a pathetic and insensitive statement by the Chief Minister," he said.

Blaming the Congress for ignoring the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Shah regretted that the grand old party had prevented the Modi government from giving constitutional status to the OBCs by blocking an amendment bill in the Rajya Sabha.

"Siddaramaiah says he is a OBC leader and that his government was doing a lot for the OBCs. If it were so, why did he fail to convince his party on not stalling the constitutional amendment," the BJP leader said.

Appealing to the people to vote for the BJP in the ensuing assembly election, Shah said the state would development rapidly under its chief ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre.

"If the people in the state are looking for change, it's only the BJP under Yeddyurappa's leadership is capable of providing it," claimed Shah, adding the regional party Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) would not be in a position to form the next government in the state.

Vote count is on May 15 after single-phase polling on May 12.

--IANS inputs