Congress general secretary and Karnataka in charge Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged on Saturday that an assassination plot has been hatched to ‘wipe out’ Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge, his wife and his entire family by a BJP candidate.
The Congress leader also played an alleged audio recording of the BJP candidate from Chittapur constituency in Kalaburagi district, Manikanta Rathod, in which he is heard purportedly saying in Kannada that he will wipe out ‘Kharge, his wife and children’.
Addressing a press conference, Surjewala said, “I am going to play for you an audio recording of an assassination plot to wipe out none less than the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge, his wife, and his entire family as being hatched by the BJP leaders. There can be nothing more serious than that".
He added that "the assassination plots have entered the electoral discourse of Karnataka and this was the lowest political discourse anyone can stoop to".
“Intimidated by the all-round blessings of Kannadigas being showered on the Congress party and facing a complete rout in the ensuing Karnataka election, the BJP leaders are now hatching a plot to murder Sri Mallikarjun Kharge as also his family members,” Surjewala alleged. He also alleged the Chittapur candidate is a “blue eyed boy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai”.
Rathod rejected the charges outright and said, “It is all a lie. They are playing some fake audio. The Congress is leveling baseless allegations fearing defeat.”
Who is Manikanta Rathod?
BJP has fielded Manikanta Rathod from the Chittapur constituency. Before that, he was barred from entering Kalaburagi where has some criminal cases pending against him. According to media reports, Rathod has around 40 criminal cases registered against him in several districts of the state -- ranging from murder to smuggling drugs.
Last year, in a press conference, Rathod had threatened Priyank Kharge, who is the Congress candidate in Chittapur, with murder. He was arrested in November and releaser later. According to a report by Hindustan Times, Rathod had to seek special permission in order to campaign in Chittapur.
(With inputs from PTI)
