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‘No BJP leader has lost their life due to terrorism’: Siddaramaiah on Rajiv Gandhi's death anniversary
"BJP says that we support terrorism but many Congress leaders like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi died in terror attacks," Siddaramaiah said.
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday hit out at the BJP for claiming that Congress supports terrorism despite the assassination of party leaders like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. After paying tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 32nd death anniversary, the newly-elected CM slammed PM Modi’s statements on terrorism and added that no BJP worker has ‘ever lost their life to a terror attack’.
"PM Modi speaks about terrorism, no one from BJP has ever lost their life due to terrorism. BJP keeps saying that we support terrorism but many Congress leaders like Indira Gandhi & Rajiv Gandhi died in terror attacks," he said.
In a series of tweets, he wrote, “Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi were victims of terrorism. Since the beginning, Congress has been fighting to eliminate terrorism that destroys the peace of the people.”
Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar on Sunday paid homage to the former PM in the Congress office in Bengaluru.
Read: On Rajiv Gandhi's death anniversary, Rahul's tribute: ‘Papa, aap mere sath hain’
Siddaramaiah added that ending the politics of hatred would be the real tribute to Rajiv Gandhi.
“As long as there is BJP, there will be no peace and harmony in the society. The poor, Dalits and backward people are living in anxiety in many parts of the country,” he lashed out at the opposition.
Lauding Rajiv Gandhi for introducing decentralisation of democracy, he asserted that the ‘current PMs and Nehru, who was the founder of democracy, cannot be compared’.
Earlier in the day, Sonia Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge paid tributes at Vir Bhumi in Delhi. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also paid respects to their late father.
Rajiv Gandhi took over the charge of the Congress in 1984 following the assassination of his mother and then PM Indira Gandhi.
He served as the PM till December 2, 1989. He was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.
(With inputs from agencies)
