'K’taka Cong spent Rs 100 on publicity', LoP Ashoka slams state govt over conference on Constituion

Bengaluru : BJP's leader of opposition (LoP) in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashoka, on Tuesday lashed out at the Congress government in the state for inviting 'anti-India' elements for attending a conference on the Constitution.

Ashoka's remarks came days after the deporting of 'controversial' UK writer Nitasha Kaul back to London from the Bengaluru airport on Sunday.

Kaul was detained by the security agencies on her arrival at the KempeGowda International Airport in Bengaluru before she was deported back to London. Kaul later claimed that she was denied entry despite having an invitation to speak at a conference organised by the Karnataka government.

Taking to social media, Ashoka said that at a time when the state is facing a severe drought situation, and people in the state capital Bengaluru are struggling to get drinking water, what was the need to spend crores of rupees on foreign invitees for a conference.

“CM Siddaramaiah, what was the necessity to spend hundreds of crores to convene a conference on the Constitution by sponsoring international air tickets to guests, and their stay in five-star hotels,” Ashoka questioned.

“H.C. Mahadevappa (Minister for Social Welfare), you have shown desperation in giving advertisements of more than Rs 100 crore, including Rs 21.70 crore in newspapers. The beneficiaries would be Congress supporters and stooges, what is the benefit the Kannada people are getting,” he asked.

“If you really cared for the Constitution and its objectives, the creative awareness programme could have been held at the village-level across the state. Instead, the invitation was sent to an anti-national like Nitasha Kaul. Did this happen as per the orders of Rahul Gandhi,” he said.

“CM Siddaramaiah should answer whether the conference on Constitution was really required in this scenario, which only benefits the stooges of the Congress party,” Ashoka added.

Kaul, an OCI cardholder and writer based in London, was invited by the government of Karnataka to participate in a conference titled 'The Constitution and Unity of India' held over the weekend in Bengaluru.