BJP is fading, need to search with a torchlight: Harish Kumar

Mangaluru: Congress district President Harish Kumar took potshots at the BJP for failing to appoint a Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly as well as a new party state president.

BJP is fading from prominence. As its state president once said about Congress, “we need to search for BJP with a torchlight now”, he said.

Even after 100 days of the new government coming to power, BJP has neither been able to select an opposition leader nor select a new state president, he told reporters at a press conference.

PM Narendra Modi has sidelined state BJP leaders, Harish Kumar said, adding that BJP leaders were left waving from behind a fence when PM Modi arrived in Bengaluru to meet ISRO scientists.

Harish Kumar also questioned why the BJP which had opposed the guarantee scheme of the Congress, now announcing free schemes in the election-bound states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

He also attacked the union government on the LPG price reduction. Reduction in the domestic LPG prices is welcome, but how does the price only reduce when the elections approach, he asked.

He also questioned the independence of oil companies to decide fuel prices based on international markets. Prime Minister and Petroleum Minister had earlier claimed that the authority to decide the prices is with oil marketing companies. Then how has the central government reduced the cylinder prices, Harish Kumar asked.

Responding to a query about the Sowjanya murder case, Harish Kumar said that Congress believes the case should be re-investigated and the culprits should be brought to justice.

Further, he said, it is a crime if the person knowingly withholds information about the murder suspects. Those who have evidence should have disclosed it to the CBI, he said.

He further said that maligning Dr Veerendra Heggade and his family without evidence is also not right.