Credit: DH Photo
BJP national president J P Nadda, on Tuesday, questioned the silence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi and others in the Congress when ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans were raised on the premises of the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, following the victory of their candidate Nasir Hussain in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Nadda was addressing a convention of booth-level BJP workers from Chikkodi parliamentary constituency in the town.
He said, “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar too did not utter a word. Rahul Gandhi had conducted his Bharat Jodo Yatra here. Is this the way he wants to connect the country? The silence of Congress leaders indicates that they speak the language of Pakistan and are its representatives in India.”
People of the country in general and Kannadigas in particular will teach a lesson to the Congress, the BJP president said.
“Congress came to power in Karnataka by promising freebies, but what the
state got free was terror,” he said.
During the tenure of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, bomb blasts had become a norm, he said.
Addressing reporters at the Belagavi airport, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra demanded that Rajya Sabha member elect Nasir Hussain should be booked as ‘accused number 4’ in the pro-Pakistan slogans episode.
“We will write to Rajya Sabha chairman and vice president Jagdeep Dhankar not to administer oath of office to Hussain till investigations in the case are completed,” he said.
“We want the government to make public the FSL report in the case. It appears that Hussain’s name has been dropped from the list of accused,” Vijayendra said.
Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters at the airport that it was unfortunate that even ministers in the state Cabinet had denied that pro-Pakistan slogans had been raised.
“Those who stood in favour of anti-nationals, including ministers, should apologise,” the former CM said.
In Ballari
BJP MLC N Ravi Kumar said the NIA should question Nasir Hussain over the slogan controversy, since he is the ‘accused no. 1’. Kumar was addressing a press conference in Ballari.