Karnatak Poll: Rahul hits back to Sushma

Mandya (Karnataka): Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit back at BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who had attacked his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, saying the saffron party leader does not talk about corruption in Karnataka.

Taking on BJP, Rahul said the party would not say a Chief Minister went to jail. “They will not say Reddy brothers who they sold the entire state to….they talk about corruption,” he said. For the first time in history, a Chief Minister had gone to jail, said Gandhi, apparently referring to B S Yeddyurappa, who is facing corruption charges and had to quit as Chief Minister on graft charge after his indictment by Lok Ayukta in its report on illegal mining. “… and your future has been mortgaged to mafia,” he said.

Gandhi accused the BJP government of having “mortgaged” people’s future to “mafia” and “sold” the state to mining barons Reddy brothers. The party “built” the Reddy brothers—to come to power in the state. The BJP leaders “who have built” the Reddy brothers—G Janardhana and G Karunakara–“who have taken their money” and “who are responsible for corruption” in Karnataka go to the rest of the country and talk about corruption, he said.