Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 16 (ANI): Karnataka Minister for Panchayat Raj, Rural Development and IT/BT Priyank Kharge on Friday launched a sharp attack on the BJP over its protest in Ballari, saying that the party's failed Padyatra had exposed a 'glaring lack of leadership' within the state unit.

'They're free to do their convention or protest. But what is glaring is the lack of leadership within the BJP. What started out as a Padyatra fizzled out even before it started,' Priyank said, adding that the failure reflected the party leaders' lack of confidence in their own top leadership in the state.

The Minister also criticised the BJP legislators' conduct in the Assembly. 'Their lack of leadership is presented even in the Assembly, where half of them fall in the well, and the other half stage a walkout. So it was quite natural that the Padayatra was a disaster from the start,' he said, calling the ongoing political activity within the BJP a 'personal fight rather than a fight for the people.'

Responding to the speculation over a possible leadership change in the Congress following Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's visit to Delhi, Kharge dismissed the claims as baseless. 'DK Shivakumar has gone on official work. Every time somebody goes out to Delhi, why do you think it's only for a leadership change?' he asked, pointing out that ministers routinely visit the national capital for consultations with the Union government.

'I was in Delhi last week for a consultation on MGNREGA. So even I gone for a leadership change?' he said, urging the media to avoid 'reading between the lines.'

In response to Rahul Gandhi's remark that the Indian economy was 'dead', Kharge said the focus should be on economic data rather than political statements. 'Forget what Rahul Ji is saying. Forget what the BJP has to say. Look at the data, ' he said, citing a USD 25 billion trade deficit and alleging large-scale failures of flagship initiatives such as Make in India, Startup India and Skill India. He further brought up US relations with India in his statement, 'Trump is saying that he will put a 500 per cent tariff if you trade with Iran. 25 per cent if you trade with Russia. And where is it? You're spending USD 12 billion to keep the rupee crossing the 90 mark. '

'Are they ready to speak about it? Let them put up a stage in Ramlila maiden we will come and debate economics with them. This is just nothing. But it's been 11 years. Modi-nomics has failed. They're just trying to gloss it over. Have you elected a prime minister to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the Somnath Temple, or to set the economy right and create jobs? By doing Drama, no one's stomach is going to get filled,' Kharge said, accusing the BJP of diverting attention through symbolism instead of addressing unemployment and distress.

Reacting to an incident involving a Congress leader allegedly abusing a municipal council commissioner, Kharge said such behaviour was unacceptable. 'What Rajeev Gowda has done is shameful. Nobody has the right to talk to anybody the way he did.'

However, Kharge also accused the BJP of hypocrisy, citing instances where its leaders allegedly made derogatory remarks.

He said, 'We don't have to learn anything from the BJP. What did CT Ravi do in the council? What did Chalavadi Narayanaswamy come to Gulbarga and call me? Didn't he call me a dog? All that is fine. What does Muniratna Ji speak about Dalits? All that is fine. So we don't have anything to learn from the BJP,' adding that the Congress did not need lessons in propriety from the BJP. (ANI)