"BJP's Most Reliable Leader": Congress On A Owaisi's "RSS Puppet" Remark

Responding to All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi's dig at Telangana Pradesh Congress chief Revanth Reddy calling him an "RSS puppet", West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that everyone knows that Asaduddin Owaisi cuts votes of the Congress to make the contest easy for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"(Asaduddin) Owaisi is known for cutting votes. The entire country knows this. He takes bribes from the BJP. BJP pays them so that they cut the votes of the Congress and make it (electoral contest) easy for themselves," Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said speaking at a press conference in West Bengal's Murshidabad on Tuesday.

He said that though the BJP which proclaims themselves to have declared a "war against corruption" should first look within themselves and smell the stink of corruption within their own ranks.

"A storm of change has already set in Telangana. To get out of this, the BJP has turned to their most reliable leader Asaduddin Owaisi. They proclaim themselves to be pure as they have declared a war against corruption. Modi should look into his own party and smell the stink of corruption from his own party," he said.

He said that since Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is backing caste-based census throughout the country it is proving to be a hurdle for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he had dreamt of uniting Hindu votes and fighting elections in the name of Hindutva.

"Rahul Gandhi is seeking a caste census throughout the country and Congress has promised caste census in their manifestoes. Modi had the dream of uniting all Hindus and fighting elections in the name of Hindutva by cheating Hindus."

Taking a dig at the BJP government, the state Congress chief said that the "Hum Do Hamare Do" government is opposed to the idea.

"Rahul Gandhi is saying that there is discrimination within the Hindu society, we should find out about the state of OBCs, SCs, STs, Minorities even within our society. Modi does not like this. He wants to engage in communal politics. We want a caste census and based on that all government schemes should be planned. It is a government of Hum Do Hamare Do and for no one else," Mr Chowdhury said.

Speaking about the request for treatment by jailed West Bengal Minister Jyotipriya Mallick, he said that the Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial (SSKM) Hospital should set up a barrack named 'Service for Didi's thieves' for the treatment of such Ministers.

"Jyotipriya will face some initial problems in jail but in time, he will learn how to live there. Partha Chattopadhyay (another jailed TMC Minister) has learnt now. SSKM is a five-star hotel for them. It has become a refuge for thieves. They should set up a barrack named 'Service for Didi's thieves'," the senior Congress leader said.

On the lynching that took place in the aftermath of the local Trinamool Congress leader in West Bengal's Joynagar, Mr Chowdhury said, "24 hours have passed and we still do not know who is the murderer. Police have arrested an individual but we know nothing about this. What is so secretive about this? Don't the police who who is the murderer?"

Accusing someone from inside the Trinamool Congress for the party worker's murder, he said, "Why is the police not saying anything about the person who was lynched to death? There is no answer. Someone from inside the Trinamool is linked to this murder. Properties were burnt five kilometers away to start the blame game."

Commenting on the BJP making tall statements about the Ram Mandir in their electoral campaigns, the West Bengal Congress chief said, "Ram Mandir has now become BJP's election issue. Modi is speaking about the Ram Mandir even at the borders. Congress has said that the party will abide by whatever decision the Supreme Court takes."

"Lord Ram has now become an election issue...India is acquainted with Ram from ages, but this is not the same as Modi's Ram. Modi's Ram is an election issue, India's Ram is an expression of devotion," he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)