Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (JS/EP)

Udupi, April 13: “Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is visiting temples to atone for his sins. The BJP government has indulged in malpractices and corruption during the last four years. He is going to the temples now to perform penance,” lambasted senior Congress leader and MLC B K Hariprasad.

Speaking at a news conference here, he said that the prime minister Narendra Modi had recently been on a wildlife safari in Bandipur but could not find a tiger.

“There was a serious accident at Chamarajanagar during the Corona pandemic in which 34 people had died for want of oxygen. The prime minister did neither visit them nor pacify them,” he said.

“A coordination committee meeting of all the Congress aspirants was held. We have requested everybody to support the party candidate. Several senior leaders of BJP are being deprived of party tickets. There was no need for a change if the candidate from the party had done good work during the last four years. There were 32 people with criminal background in the last Vidhana Sabha out of which 22 of them belonged to the BJP. Earlier, the BJP was called the party of the patriots. But it has become a party of hypocrisy now. They had thought that there would be a tussle in Congress after the release of the list. But it did not happen. Some BJP candidates are contesting in two places due to scarcity of candidates,” Hariprasad said.

“BJP has a Hindutva agenda. They do not have an agenda for the poor. They are creating enmity between people and causing communal hatred. The third list of Congress will be released in another two days,” he said.

Regarding the revolt of Udupi ticket aspirant Krishnamurthy Acharya, he said that the couple has had discussions with him.  “I will bring the matter to the notice of the high command,” he said.

Referring to the raids conducted by the flying squad on the Congress office, he said that BJP is misusing ED, IT and CBI. “There are some from the Election Commission also who are supporting them. There are no inspections of the cars of BJP leaders at the airport. I will bring that to the notice of the Election Commission,” he said.

Udupi Congress candidate Prasad Raj Kanchan, district president Ashok Kumar Kodavoor, block president Ramesh Kanchan, vice-president Prakhyat Shetty, KPCC’s M A Gafoor, Kishan Hegde Kolkebail, Amrath Shenoy, Bhasker Rao Kidiyoor, Annayya Sherigar were present.