Owaisi Slams Sonia Gandhi for Campaigning for BJP Defector in Karnataka Polls

New Delhi (India), May 7, 2023: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi launched a sharp attack on former Congress president Sonia Gandhi during a rally in Hubbali, Karnataka. While campaigning for BJP defector Jagadish Shettar, Gandhi drew the ire of Owaisi, who questioned Congress’s ideology and lambasted her for endorsing a candidate associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Owaisi expressed his disappointment with Gandhi for campaigning for an “RSS man” and questioned the Congress’s commitment to secularism. “Is this how you will fight Modi?” he asked. Owaisi went on to say that it was a matter of shame that Congress had failed in the ideological battle, and he was falsely accused of being the BJP’s B-team.

Congress has fielded Jagadish Shettar from the Hubbali-Dharwad Central constituency, where he previously won on a BJP ticket. The party defended Shettar’s inclusion, arguing that he was a “secular person” despite his ties to the RSS. Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and Shettar shared the stage during the rally, where they spoke out against the BJP’s divisive politics.

Gandhi criticized the BJP for spreading “hatred” and stressed the need to strengthen the collective voice against their “dark rule.” Karnataka votes on May 10, and the rally was Sonia Gandhi’s first public appearance in the state in three years.