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Karnataka Minister for Electronics Priyank Kharge on Monday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over multiple issues, including restrictions on parliamentary debate, metro fare policies in Bengaluru, and the historical legacy of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, raising concerns over governance, accountability and transparency.
Speaking to ANI, Karnataka Minister Kharge said, "...Whenever Rahul Gandhi uses the word 'Prime Minister' in Parliament, he is stopped. Is 'Prime Minister' considered an unparliamentary word? We also heard the Speaker saying that women MPs might attack the Prime Minister. What intelligence does the Speaker of the House have that the Home Minister, Amit Shah, does not?" On BJP MP Tejasvi Surya's remarks about the metro fare hike in Bengaluru, Kharge alleged, "...They stage dramas to fool the people. There is a central committee that decides on fare hikes. When even an inch of metro line is laid, the credit goes to PM Modi, but when fares are increased by one rupee, the blame comes to the state government." Further commenting on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement, Kharge questioned the government's rationale behind awarding the Bharat Ratna to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. "...The government is free to award the Bharat Ratna to anyone, but they must also answer certain questions. Why did Savarkar accept a pension from the British government? Why did he not participate in the freedom struggle? And why did he write mercy petitions to the British government?... Let them answer all these questions first..." he said. Earlier, Priyank Kharge also criticised the India-USA trade deal by drawing a comparison with the Goods and Services Tax (GST). He noted that while Washington has reduced tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent. Speaking to reporters, Kharge dismissed the trade deal as a "GST Bachao Utsav," alleging a severe trade imbalance. He claimed the agreement allows a 0 per cent tariff on American goods entering India, compared to an 18 per cent tariff on Indian goods entering the US. "The govt of India has become a madhouse. It is nothing but the GST Bachao Utsav, which the government celebrated so much. First, you implement high GSTs, then you reduce it after 8 years, then you celebrate the reduction. Similarly, the US tariff has been reduced to 18%, so you are celebrating a reduction while there is zero tariff on US goods...I don't know what the Government of India is celebrating. I don't see sense in this," said Kharge. (ANI)
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