The BJP’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra has posed 10 questions to Congress President Rahul Gandhi, mainly on farmers’ problems, corruption and atrocities against women in Karnataka.

Rahul started his campaign in the State on Thursday from Ankola in Uttara Kananda district.

Addressing press persons here on Thursday, Patra wanted to know why the Congress government in the State is apathetic to the agri distress, and why Karnataka is the epicentre of farmers’ suicides. The State has witnessed 3,781 farmers’ suicides in the past four-and-a-half years, he said. He also asked Rahul if he he will apologise for the lathi-charge on farmers in Bengaluru.

Alleging that corruption has been institutionalised in Karnataka, Patra referred to a road project in Bengaluru. The cost of construction of a 10-km arterial road in the metro was around ₹468 crore, more than ISRO’s Mangalyaan project, he said.

Patra further wanted to know why the Congress, which claims to be the champion of RTI, had done away with the Sakala grievance redressal system launched by the BJP government.

Appeasement politics

The BJP leader said that in Karnataka under the Congress regime, over 800 Dalit women have been raped, 7,523 women have been murdered and 3,857 cases of sexual assault have been reported. He wondered why Rahul has not taken out a candle light march against these atrocities.

Stating that the Congress favours appeasement politics in the State, he said it withdrew 175 cases registered against PFI and SDPI activists. In all, 24 Hindu activists have been murdered, he added.

Rahul doesn’t trust the judiciary, Election Commission, RBI, PMO and World Bank, he said. He wanted to know if the Congress head trusts the Siddaramaiah government.