The Congress has alleged a BJP conspiracy to assassinate party president Mallikarjun Kharge and his family.
Randeep Surjewala, Congress general secretary in charge of Karnataka, on Saturday released an audio clip, purportedly recorded from a phone call between the BJP candidate for Chittapur seat, Manikanta Rathod, and a BJP worker named Ravi.
A voice, which the Congress says belongs to Rathod, is heard talking about wiping out “his wife and children” shortly after mentioning “Kharge”.
Surjewala said it was clear from the audio clip that the BJP was spooked by the certainty of a rout in the May 10 Assembly elections.
“Intimidated by the all-round blessings of Kannadigas being showered on the Congress, and facing a complete rout in the Assembly elections, the BJP and its leadership are now resorting to hatching a murder plot to kill the AICC president, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, his wife and the entire family,” Surjewala alleged.
“This is clear from the audio recording of the BJP candidate from Chittapur, Manikanta Rathod, who also happens to be the blue-eyed boy of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and chief minister Shri Basavaraj Bommai.”
At Chittapur, Rathod is pitted against the incumbent Congress MLA Priyank Kharge, son of Mallikarjun Kharge. Rathod was arrested last November from Hyderabad for allegedly threatening to kill Priyank. He was released on bail.
Priyank had castigated local BJP workers for pasting posters declaring him as missing, implying he was unavailable to the people of Chittapur.
Following Priyank’s criticism, Rathod had told a news conference: “You can shoot us…. We are ready to die (and) we are also ready to shoot you.”
In the audio clip released by Surjewala, a man whom the Congress has identifed as BJP worker Ravi is heard asking the person at the other end about the number of criminal cases against him.
To this, the other person, who the Congress says is Rathod, replies: “Ask that Congress... (followed by expletive). Whoever told you, tell him that Manikanta Rathod is asking for the list of 44 cases.”
The first man then says: “Kharge’s people are doing it, brother. We don’t do it.”
To this, the man alleged to be Rathod fumes: “Then ask Kharge.”
The first man then says: “I don’t have their number, please give me their number. I am your fan, I will ask why he is talking like this about my leader.”
The man alleged to be Rathod then says: “If I had his phone number I would have wiped out his wife and children. So I don’t have it.”
The first man seeks more clarity: “Whose wife and children are you talking about?”
The man alleged to be Rathod responds cryptically: “Whose name did you take now?”
Surjewala did not explain how he had obtained the audio clip.
Rathod denied the allegation and dismissed the clip as fake. “They are using a fake audio since the Congress fears defeat,” he told reporters in Chittapur.
Priyank tagged the audio clip to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and tweeted: “Dear @narendramodi ji, since you are in Karnataka, can you please answer why @BJP4Karnataka Chittapur candidate wants to wipe out our entire family? Your endorsement of such extremists has led to such antisocial elements becoming MLA candidates.”
Surjewala alleged that the BJP hated Mallikarjun Kharge because he was a Dalit who had risen to a position of eminence.