Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM leader, criticised Sonia Gandhi and other Congress leaders for inducting Jagadish Shettar, a former BJP leader into the Congress, saying Mr. Shettar was a leader with RSS roots.
“I never expected that Ms. Gandhi would campaign for Mr. Shettar, who is a leader with RSS background. It is unfortunate to see that the Congress has failed in upholding its values and ideology,’‘ he said in Hubballi on Sunday.
He was campaigning for party nominee Durgappa Bijawad in Nekar Nagar. He said that Congress was not a secular party as it had failed to raise its voice during the Hijab and Idgah Maidan issue and when the authorities demolished a 300-year-old Dargah on Hubballi-Dharwad road.
“Congress seeks votes using the issue of secularism. I am throwing a challenge to Congress leaders to reconstruct the Dargah if it came to power,” he said.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is spending more than necessary time in Karnataka when Manipur was hit with group clashes and when Indian soldiers were being martyred in Kashmir. BJP should clarify what its leaders mean by nationalism,” he said.
He said that Mr. Bijawad would defeat Congress MLA Prasad Abbayya and other candidates easily. If there is a coalition government in Karnataka, Mr. Bijawad could become a Minister also, he said. I told that Mr. Abbayya is going door to door distributing money. Please do not accept it. Even if you do, please don’t forget to vote for the AIMIM, he said.
AIMIM leaders Munna Kittur, Nazeer Honyal, Tabrez Byahatti and others were present.
