BJP chief Nadda launches blistering attack on Cong govt, party on ”pro-Pak slogan” issue

PTI, Mar 5, 2024, 3:41 PM IST

Targeting the Congress government in Karnataka and the party’s leadership over the ‘pro-Pakistan slogan’ issue, BJP national President J P Nadda on Tuesday questioned whether they were running the outfit to speak Pakistan’s language and if they were representatives of the neighbouring country in India.

Referring to the blast at the city’s popular eatery ‘The Rameshwaram Cafe’ last week, he accused the Congress and its government in Karnataka of being soft on terrorists.

”The Assembly poll results did not come in our favour, but you might have realised by now and also the people of Karnataka that the government they have elected is cheating them and has misled them, and have plundered their interest for their own self interest,” Nadda said.

Addressing booth level party workers meeting here, he alleged: ”if anything is available free in Karnataka it is terrorism; terrorists are getting encouragement and patronage.” ”What a situation has come. Pakistan zindabad slogans are raised in Vidhana Soudha, and Congress’ Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) and Deputy Chief Minister (D K Shivakumar) are mute spectators. Isn’t it from this very Karnataka that the Indian National Congress’ President Mallikarjun Kharge comes from? The MP is someone who sits next to him (Kharge), on whose victory (in Rajya Sabha polls) Pakistan zindabad slogans are raised,” he said.

Congress leader Syed Naseer Hussain’s supporters allegedly raised ”Pakistan zindabad” slogans, while celebrating his victory in the Rajya Sabha polls on February 27 at Vidhana Soudha, the seat of state legislature and secretariat.

A purported video of the incident was telecast by TV news channels and it also had gone viral on social media. Police on Monday arrested three persons in connection with the incident.

Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ”Bharat Jodo Yatra”, Nadda asked, ”is this the way you are uniting India? Your MP wins an election and on his victory Pakistan Zindabad slogans are raised.” ”Whom are you representing? Kharge ji why are you silent? The nation wants to know, the people of Karnataka are asking,” he said while questioning the ”silence” of Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.

He further asked, ”Are you born to help Pakistan? Are you running the party to speak Pakistan’s language? Are you representatives of Pakistan in India? I want to know, I want answers for this.” Pointing at the delay in the FSL report being made public by government despite a private forensic report confirming that the pro-Pakistan slogans were raised, the BJP chief questioned the Siddaramaiah government’s ”inaction”, and said, ”those speaking Pakistan’s language, remember that ‘Bharat Mata’ will never forgive you, also the people of Karnataka will not forgive you.” ”The people will question you (Congress), when Kharge saab comes here (Karnataka) to his ‘janmabhoomi’ (the land of birth), question him — as to which party he represents. Those raising Pakistan zindabad slogans stand with your MP. We want answers for this.” BJP Karnataka in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, Chikkodi MP Annasaheb Jolle, and MLA from Nippani Shashikala Jolle, were among others present at the meeting here, where Nadda also highlighted various programmes of the Modi government, and its contribution to Karnataka’s growth, and called upon party workers to take them to people ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

Claiming that there was peace in the state when there was a BJP government in Karnataka, Nadda, referring to the blast at the eatery, accused the Congress and its government in Karnataka of being soft on terrorists.

”Now blasts have started happening, there was a blast in a cafe, such incidents have started happening, and you (Congress) are soft on terrorists. My charge is that Siddaramaiah ji, under your government, cases against the Popular Front of India (PFI) were withdrawn, and it was the BJP led NDA government under Prime Minister Modi, which banned PFI,” he said.

Claiming that there used to be ”one or the other blast every day” in the country under the UPA rule, he alleged that Congress was soft on terror and its leader Rahul Gandhi stands with the ”tukde tukde gang”.

”Whether he (Rahul) was on a journey to Bharat Jodo (unite India) or Bharat Todo (divide India)….is he on a journey to get ”Nyay” (justice) or to do ”Anyay” (injustice),” he asked.

Accusing the Congress party of negating the very existence of Lord Ram, Nadda further pointed out that, they said Ram was imaginary, and ”at every interval” they opposed Ram, and did not even attend the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya.

He also hit out at the Congress government in Karnataka for putting a ‘Karsevak’ in jail in connection with a 31-year year old case. ”The people of Karnataka in the coming days will take revenge in a democratic way, for injustice done on Ram Bhakts.” Referring to Karnataka government’s bill that sought to collect funds from temples with over Rs 10 lakh annual income, Nadda said, ”they have imposed 10 per cent tax on Hindu temples. What can this be called? They will use this money for appeasement politics.” For the Congress, the Karnataka government has become ”ATM government”, he said, adding, ”they will collect money from here and fill the bags of their party in Delhi, and do more corruption here”.

”This Congress government is immersed in corruption, it is indulging in appeasement. Congress is a Parivarwad (dynastic) party. INDIA alliance is nothing but it is an alliance of corrupt and Pariwarwadis (dynasts),” he said.

He also claimed that BJP is the only ideology based party in the country that has stood by its ideology and principles, as he highlighted the abrogation of Article 370 and construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.