Hariprasad targets BJP over ‘₹200 crore Ram Temple loot’, likens Modi-Shah duo to Ghazni

Hubballi: KPCC president BK Hariprasad Wednesday attacked the BJP over alleged misappropriation of money donated by devotees at the Ayodhya Ram Temple and questioned, “What is the difference between the Modi-Shah duo and Mahamud Ghazni, who plundered the temples, including that one at Somanath, by raiding the country 17 times?”Alleging that the BJP captured power by chanting the name of Ram, Hariprasad said the party was involved in the loot of around Rs 200 crore in the Ram Temple.

He added that the BJP served only a particular community and religion, while the Congress party believed in all religions and served them equally, following constitutional norms.He further attacked the BJP for inflicting division in regional parties, stating that several regional parties flourished when the Congress was in power. After the BJP came to power, he said, it decimated regional parties one by one. The Congress believed in multi-party democracy, he said, while the BJP pushed the country towards one-party rule, adding that such a bid would not succeed.Questioning the Modi govt’s contribution to the progress of North Karnataka and the BJP MPs from the region, Hariprasad said the Centre was keen on granting environmental clearance for the mining contract given to Adani’s company at Bastar in Chhattisgarh, but used pretexts to delay a nod for the Mahadayi diversion project, which he said addressed the drinking water needs of several districts.On the Bidadi Township project, he said that as per the amendment to the Land Acquisition Act brought by the UPA govt in 2013, farmers would get three times the market value, which would be a fair price.Reacting to pressure tactics by party MLAs for posts in Shivakumar’s cabinet, Hariprasad said these were not protests but their rightful claim and desire, adding that every member in the Congress had the freedom to express their views.