The Congress party announced its first list of candidates for the Karnataka assembly elections on Sunday and controversies over it just refuse to go away. Not only the party is facing internal revolt as several party leaders are unsatisfied over being denied tickets, now a fresh issue has surfaced.
Recent reports state that Congress has fielded HS Rajamauli, the lawyer of Nirav Modi’s uncle and fraud accused Mehul Choksi as a candidate for the Madikeri assembly seat in the coming elections.
#BREAKING Ahead of Karnataka polls, mega controversy erupts, Cong fields Choksi Lawyer, Mehul Choksi’s lawyer given ticket, loyalist Brijesh Kalappa snubbed, BJP questions ticket choice, Choksi Lawyer over loyalist? | Imran Khan shares more details #CongTicketDrama pic.twitter.com/kD1TV4peHW
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) April 16, 2018
The Congress’s choice of HS Rajamauli is being questioned not only being questioned by outsiders, but several party leaders have also expressed displeasure over it. Especially because Rajamauli is a new face in the party and the party has snubbed veteran leader and loyalist Brijesh Kalappa while declaring Rajamauli as a candidate. The Madikeri seat, for last two elections, is being won by BJP’s Appachu Ranjan.
According to reports, Kalappa has expressed his disappointment over facebook and stated that there was a campaign against him within the party. Kalappa is also Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah’s legal advisor and a party spokesperson.
The BJP has attacked Congress over the choice of Rajamauli as a candidate.
What is so special about H S Chandramouli, lawyer of Nirav Modi’s uncle Mehul Choksi, that Congress gave him a ticket from Madikere while denying one to Brijesh Kalappa, Siddaramaiah’s legal advisor and party spokesperson? Rahul’s friends over CM’s aide? #CongressWithNirav
— Amit Malviya (@malviyamit) April 17, 2018
However, according to reports, Rajamauli has stated that the party has winnability factor as a priority while selecting candidates and his performance has been good on the local body elections. He also added that his association with Mehul Choksi was through a legal firm and he has never met him personally.
But defending Rajamauli may not work well for Congress well because Rahul Gandhi, during his Shivmoga rally had alleged that Arun Jaitley’s daughter was a lawyer for Nirav Modi and had criticised BJP over it. The allegations of Jaitley’s daughter being hired by Nirav Modi’s firm were busted earlier. The Mehul Choksi – Nirav Modi scam had also landed squarely at the Congress’ doorstep and especially, on P Chidambaram.
Congress’s candidate list has incited severe criticism from several partymen as the party has not followed the ‘One family one ticket’ policy that it followed in Punjab. The CM and his son, the Home Minister and his daughter and the Law Minister and his son have all been given tickets.
