NEW DELHI: Levelling major allegations against the Centre, AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday claimed that the Union government has dispatched the central agencies to conduct raids against the party leaders and candidates announced for the Karnataka Assembly polls.
The Congress leader claimed that the party has “authentic information” about the BJP failing to select its own candidates for the polls. Surjewala alleged that there is a “mass exodus” taking place in the BJP in the poll-bound state.
“We have authentic information that BJP is unable to select its candidates and MLAs are refusing to contest seats…A mass exodus is happening in BJP in Karnataka. About 10 MLAs, MLCs, ex-MLAs and ex-MLCs, chairmen of boards and corporations have resigned in dozens and joined Congress”, he claimed.
“So, PM Modi has decided to use the final arsenal in his armoury which will also fail miserably. We have information that hundreds of I-T and ED officers have been dispatched to Karnataka to conduct raids across the state on Congress leaders and probable party candidates”, Surjewala alleged.
He stressed that the Congress party will not bow down and will fight the elections with full force. “But PM Modi and his ED and I-T should know that their fake, fraudulent and fabricated raids will not cow down Congress which is on the verge of coming to power”, Surjewala said.
He claimed that the party will rush past the 150-plus mark in the Karnataka Assembly elections. “Your Income Tax and ED departments cannot and will not deter the Congress ‘rath’ which is people’s ‘rath’, from going past the 150-plus mark of victory. We also call upon all those bureaucrats and officers of the I-T and ED who are being sought to be misused by raids that will begin tomorrow as per our information, that all wrongdoings you are doing on behalf of BJP government will be accounted for”, he said.
Opposition leader Siddaramaiah said that there is a wave in favour of Congress in Karnataka and that the party will come to power with a comfortable majority. “With a comfortable majority, Congress will come to power. As Surjewala said, a number of MLAs, MLCs and chairmen of boards and corporations have resigned from BJP and joined Congress. Everybody in Karnataka knows that the wave is in favour of Congress…BJP high command is well aware that BJP in Karnataka is sinking and it can’t come to power. The hate politics and Hindutva is not working in the coming Karnataka elections 2023”, he said. (ANI)