Kumaraswamy hits back on Modi after his '20 pct govt' jibe in Karnataka

Hitting out at Narendra Modi's "20 per cent government" jibe at the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Sunday alleged he was a Prime Minister with a 'percentage background' and had no other issue to speak about. Modi had attacked the Congress-JD(S) coalition Friday at a rally at Gangavathi over its alleged corruption and dynasty politics, labelling it as a "20 per cent government" and saying their only mission was "commission."

On Saturday too addressing a rally here, he had berated the government, saying "earlier there was 10 per cent, now it has become 20 per cent, 30 per cent." "What other issue has he (Modi) to speak other than percentage?... Narendra Modi's behaviour and if you see his background, he is a Prime Minister with percentage background, so he doesn't come out of that domain and always thinks about the percentage. We cannot expect anything else from him," Kumaraswamy told reporters here.

He also reacted strongly to Modi's comments at a rally, taking exception to the political row created by the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance on the recent Income Tax raids on many JD(S) supporters across Karnataka and asking the crowd what there was to be afraid of if one had not committed any wrong. "Should the law be followed or not whether it is PM or CM or minister? Why get scared if you have not committed anything wrong?", Modi had asked.

The Prime Minister had recalled he was grilled for nine hours when he was Gujarat Chief Minister post the Godhra riots in 2002 by a Special Investigation Team, formed on the Supreme Court directive and he followed the law as a normal citizen. "Am I scared? Police may have questioned him (Modi)...I have not got down to the level of Narendra Modi," Kumaraswamy said, reacting to the Prime Minister's comments.

The Chief Minister alleged that several innocent people were killed during the riots in Gujarat when Modi was at the helm of affairs and said he had not done any such thing to be scared of and need not to take moral lessons from him.

"I have not done such things to be afraid. I need not learn moral lessons from him. I want to make this very clear," he said and alleged that the Prime Minister's was running an administration of fear. "Why should I be afraid of I-T...the way I-T is working- is it right?" he questioned as he pointed out that a house where his father and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda had visited recently for lunch in a village, was also raided.

On March 28, the Income Tax department had carried out raids at multiple locations in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya, Ramanagara, Shivamogga and Hassan, triggering a strong reaction from Kumaraswamy and Congress leaders, who accused the Centre of promoting the politics of vendetta. Kumaraswamy had even called the I-T officers as BJP agents and led a protest by the ruling Congress-JDS coalition in front of the IT department office here.

The Chief Minister referred to a box allegedly unloaded from Modi's helicopter at Chitradurga during his recent visit and loaded into a private car, which was widely circulated in the social media and local media and demanded to know whose vehicle it was. "We have not done any such thing," he said.

Congress and JD(S) have expressed suspicion over the box. On Modi's remark that he was a 'remote controlled Chief Minister, Kumaraswamy shot back "Narendra Modi is- what controlled PM? In this state, we have given an open and clean administration. We have not given an administration of fear like him. We have given protection to everyone."

Modi during his recent campaign speeches had lambasted the ruling alliance and also said Kumaraswamy had become a "punching bag" for the Congress.

(With inputs from agencies.)