‘Check premises of top BJP leaders’

BENGALURU: Congress leaders on Wednesday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get the premises of top BJP leaders, including state unit president B. S. Yeddyurappa, “checked” by the I-T department instead of levelling allegations against its leaders, or enacting a “midnight drama” on confiscation of voter ID cards in the city.

Party spokespersons Randeep Singh Surjewala and Priyanka Chaturvedi told the media here: “We challenge the Prime Minister: Get the premises of all these leaders (Yeddyurappa and Reddy brothers) checked, instead of levelling allegations which have no foundation, for the has run out of steam.”

Irked by searches carried out in Badami and Chamundeshwar Asse-mbly constituencies, where chief minister Siddaramaiah has entered the fray, Mr Surjewala wondered why Mr Modi did not initiate action against Mr Yeddyurappa, against whom as many as 15 cases of corruption are pending in the supreme Court. The Prime Minister also does not act against mining baron Reddy brothers who are accused of looting and plundering the state of Rs 35,000 crore of illegal iron ore by withdrawing cases against him, Mr Surjewala said. “You have withdrawn six cases against Reddy brothers, who are actors of your (Modi) movie, for you have leased out BJP to the gang of Reddy brothers in Karnataka....,”he added.

On the issue of seized voter ID cards, the leaders charged that BJP leaders enacted the drama in an apartment belonging to their own leader.