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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was a "party of terrorists", as he hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent remarks that the grand old party is being run by a "gang of urban Naxals".
He also accused those in the saffron party of "lynching and beating" people, and committing atrocities against SC/STs.
Hitting back at Kharge's remarks, senior Karnataka BJP leader and MLC N Ravikumar told PTI that terrorism and Naxal activities have come down in the country by about 80-90 per cent, and challenged for a survey and debate on -- who is pro terrorist -- comparing ten years of Modi government at the Centre with 10 years of Manmohan Singh rule.
"He (Modi) has always been saying it, even now he is saying it. Till now he was silent, after getting a bit of life now, he is saying urban Naxal. He calls intellectual and progressive people urban Naxal, he calls Congress too (as urban Naxals), this is his habit," Kharge said in response to a question on Modi's comments.
Addressing reporters in Kalaburagi, he said, "His (Modi) own party is a party of terrorists, they are involving in lynching, beat people, urinate in the mouths of people from scheduled castes, rape tribal people. His party is a terrorist party, they support people indulging such acts, then they blame others."
"Modi has no right, wherever his party-led government is there, atrocities happen there on scheduled class people, especially on tribal people. Then he (Modi) says injustice is happening. Is the government ours (Congress) ? It is your (BJP) government, you can control. But Modi's habit is to speak. He speaks less about country and people, more about party," he added.
Claiming that the Congress doesn't have a clear policy on naxals and terrorists, BJP leader Ravikumar said they are indirectly involved in appeasing one particular community, and they may go to any extent for it.
"This is open challenge to Mr Kharge, we are ready for a debate, compare terror and Naxal activates during ten years of Modi rule and ten years under Manmohan Singh led government at the Centre," he said.