Bengaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Working President B.K. Hariprasad on Thursday criticised the Karnataka BJP over its remarks against Congress leaders, alleging that the party’s language was “against political culture” and intended to divert attention from the alleged NEET examination irregularities.
Addressing a press conference, Hariprasad took exception to statements made by Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok, alleging that the BJP was focusing on political attacks instead of addressing concerns over the examination system and the future of students.
He alleged that since the introduction of the NEET system, the country had witnessed multiple question paper leak controversies and held the Central government responsible for the implementation of the examination. Hariprasad claimed that Karnataka’s Common Entrance Test (CET) system had not witnessed similar issues and had benefited students from economically weaker sections.
The Congress leader also referred to past incidents in which, he alleged, explosives or weapons had been recovered from premises linked to BJP or RSS functionaries, while asserting that Congress offices stood for democratic values. These allegations have been made by Hariprasad and were not accompanied by evidence during the press conference.
Hariprasad defended Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, saying his protest near the Prime Minister’s residence was intended to express solidarity with students over the alleged NEET irregularities. He also criticised the reported police action against protesters and accused the BJP of remaining silent on the alleged examination controversy.
Warning against any attempt to target Congress offices or workers, Hariprasad said the party would respond through legal and democratic means and would firmly counter what he described as baseless allegations made by BJP leaders.
