Karnataka most corrupt state: Rahul Gandhi

IANS

Bijapur, 20 April 2011: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said Karnataka has become the most corrupt state and urged Youth Congress workers to take the lead in eradicating graft from the country.

 

“Karnataka has become the most corrupt state and it is the common man who suffers due to this,” he said addressing Youth Congress workers in Hindi in this north Karnataka town, about 540 km from Bangalore.

Gandhi, who arrived in the state for a two-day visit to pep up the party, particularly its youth wing, said that in contrast to the present state of affairs in Karnataka, the state had progressed well during the Congress rule.

“Karnataka leads the country in IT sector and Bangalore is synonymous with Silicon Valley (IT hub in the United States). This happened during the Congress regime,” Gandhi said to applause from a large gathering of party members.

The Congress leader landed in Hubli, about 300 km from Bangalore, earlier in the day and proceeded to Bijapur for his first engagement with Youth Congress members.

He was accompanied by state Congress president G. Parameshwara and leader of the opposition in the assembly Siddaramiah.

Gandhi later addressed Youth Congress members at Udupi on the west coast, around 420 km from Bangalore.

He will wind up the day with an address to the youth wing members in Bangalore and discussion with the newly-reconstituted Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC).

The reconstitution has led to heartburn among those who have not found place on it.

 

At a Youth Congress meeting in Bangalore Monday, several members who did not find a place in the PCC created a ruckus. They were pacified after assurances that they could brief Gandhi on the issue.