It’s a celebration of corruption, says BJP

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 23

The BJP on Wednesday slammed the Congress-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka as “corrupt, anti-poor, opportunistic” coming together of “betrayers” of people.

Dismissing the show of Opposition unity in Bengaluru, BJP leaders said people knew better and would re-enforce support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a bigger majority in 2019.

While the Congress said it would “expose” the Modi government over its alleged failure on various fronts in the past four years by observing May 26 as “Vishwasghat Divas” (Betrayal Day), BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra retaliated by describing HD Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in ceremony as “celebration of corruption”.

“All ‘bhrashtcharis’ (corrupt) got together in Bengaluru and the Congress is saying that the BJP has done ‘vishwasghat’ (betrayal) with people? Betrayal is what you (Congress) have done to people of Karnataka. You are celebrating betrayal of Karnataka,” Patra said, recounting corruption charges against several Opposition leaders present at the Bengaluru event.

“People from North to South, East to West have exposed the Congress by handing it defeat after defeat, including in Karnataka. They (Opposition leaders) may have come together but voters continue to stand with Modi,” Patra said.

The BJP is keeping a close watch on political happenings down-South having the potential to change the arithmetic against the party.

Observers say a key lesson for the BJP from Bengaluru is that its political overkill is bringing together strange bedfellows. It started from Uttar Pradesh and culminated in Karnataka.

In UP, arch rivals Samajwadi Party and the BSP came together to corner BJP in Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Kairana while Karnataka gave an opportunity to the Congress and the JD(S) to join hands. Meanwhile, looking for maintaining political relevance, the rest joined in.