Jairam Ramesh calls Modi 'master of distortion...' as PM holds K'taka roadshow

 Congress comms-in-charge Jairam Ramesh ripped into prime minister Narendra Modi Saturday as the latter led a massive roadshow in Bengaluru in poll-bound Karnataka. The opposition leader labelled Modi 'the master of distortion' and his jab 'abuse' No. 92??' - a sarcastic reference to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's claims the prime minister is being 'targeted' by the Congress in a shrill and high-pitched battle for the control of the state. Ramesh also stopped short of accusing the prime minister of 'hate speech', declaring Modi's remarks at a rally scheduled for later today would only 'inflame prejudice and bigotry'.

 

"The Master Of Distortion and Incitement (‘Abuse’ No. 92??) is arriving in Bengaluru today. We already know what he'll say to inflame prejudice & bigotry. He will of course stay absolutely silent on the real issues..." he tweeted before.

The tweet highlighted four issues the Congress has flagged in the campaign so far - allegations Karnataka ministers and government officials command a 40 per cent 'commission' to grant projects, the price rise, unemployment and the poor condition of Bengaluru's infrastructure; the last is a perennial problem.

LIVE UPDATES | PM Modi begins grand 26-km roadshow in Bengaluru

"This time the despair is so high that his (Modi's) #40km40percent roadshow over 2 days is locking up an entire city, creating chaos and uncertainty for students writing crucial exams, and felling a number of trees…"

"Have you ever seen a PM this desperate?" Jairam Ramesh asked.

The BJP and the Congress have grabbed most of the headlines in the run up to Wednesday's election, with insults and allegations thrown by both sides.

This morning the Congress said it had audio evidence of a 'plot' to assassinate party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and his family. "Plotting to assassinate the president of Congress Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, his wife and his children..." Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala tweeted with the audio clip.

READ | 'Plotting to assassinate' Kharge: Congress' slams BJP's 'blue-eyed boy'

The Congress has accused a BJP MP - Manikanta Rathod from the Chitapur constituency in Karnataka's Kalaburagi district - of orchestrating the plot.

Hindustan Times cannot independently verify the authenticity of the audio clip.

The BJP has yet to respond to the Congress' 'assassinate Kharge' claims.

READ | Who is Manikanta Rathod, accused of conspiring to kill Kharge?

The two sides also spat venom at each other over Kharge's comment about poisonous snakes and prime minister Modi; the Congress chief appeared to call Modi a snake in Kolar but later said he was referring to the BJP's ideology. Modi hit back claiming the Congress hates him because he is anti-corruption.

READ | 'I am a snake, but…': Modi responds to Kharge's jab in Karnataka's Kolar

The BJP then launched its own 'poison' barb with a Karnataka BJP MLA Basanagouda Yatnal calling ex-Congress chief Sonia Gandhi ‘vishe kanya’.

READ | 'Poisonous woman...': K'taka BJP MLA attacks Sonia Gandhi

The exchange of insults prompted the Election Commission to 'warn' both sides against the use of 'inappropriate vocabulary and language'.

Karnataka will vote for a new government in a single phase on May 10, with results due three days later. The election - and those in the key states of Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao's Telangana - are seen as major tests of the BJP's bid next year to win a third consecutive Lok Sabha election.

With input from agencies

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Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh addresses a press conference, at AICC HQ, in New Delhi. (ANI Photo/Sanjay Sharma)

 

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Manipur violence flares again: 4 shot dead in Churachandpur, tax assistant killed in Imphal

 Charred vehicles which were set ablaze following tribal groups' protests over court order on Scheduled Tribe status, in Imphal, Manipur, Friday, May 5, 2023. (PTI Photo)

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Manipur violence flares again: 4 shot dead in Churachandpur, tax assistant killed in Imphal

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Four people were shot dead in Manipur’s Churachandpur when security forces were carrying out evacuation of Meiteis in the area. Meanwhile, the IRS (Indian Revenue Service) Association said a tax assistant identified as Letminthang Haokip had been killed in Imphal. “No cause or ideology can justify the killing of an innocent public servant on duty,” they tweeted.

This shooting in Churachandpur comes after days of fierce clashes between the state’s majority Meitei community and the Kuki tribe, which had also originated in the area on Wednesday. While state capital Imphal has seen Kukis at the receiving end of the violence, the Meiteis have been targeted in areas dominated by hill tribes.

The shooting took place when tribals allegedly tried to intervene in the evacuation of Meiteis from the area.

Muan Hansingh (24), a researcher and resident of Churachandpur, told The Indian Express that unrest in the town began around 7 pm Friday. “Because of the deployment of security personnel, people are not moving out of their homes. Around 7 pm, we got information that Meitei people stranded in the town are going to be evacuated by security personnel. The people (opposed to this evacuation) gathered at the town’s main road, Tidim Road to barricade it. We put women at the front of the barricade because we thought that they would not be fired at. But the security opened fire and four people died,” he alleged.

An Assam Rifles official in Imphal said he had received inputs that a gathering of “80-200” people had taken place and that four people died in the firing. “Evacuation of people from different parts of the state is constantly going on,” he said, adding that the blockading of roads continues to be common in different parts of the state.

A senior official from the central security forces also confirmed four people had died, while a senior police official from the district put the number at three.

Meanwhile, the DIG (ops) of CRPF wrote in an internal communication to his force: “Regarding ensuring safety of CRPF personnel on leave, during the prevailing Law and Order situation in Manipur, Competent Authority has desired all the units offices/establishments to promptly contact their personnel hailing from Manipur, who are presently on leave. In case they feel unsafe/insecure, they be directed to report immediately at the nearest CRPF, BSF, SF location, along with their family members. Please ensure to extend all possible assistance to such personnel on priority basis.”

This comes a day after a CRPF constable identified as Chonkholen Haokip, who was on leave, was shot dead when he tried to stop men setting a village on fire.

First published on: 06-05-2023 at 10:53 IST

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