BENGALURU: The BJP and Congress on Tuesday traded charges over Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi’s remark that students and youths chanting ‘Modi Modi’ should be slapped.Addressing Congress workers in Koppal on Sunday, Tangadagi said the BJP leaders should be ashamed of seeking votes as they are incompetent to do even a single development work and failed to provide two crore jobs every year.”They (BJP) had promised to give two crore jobs. Did they give jobs to anyone? When asked for jobs, they say — sell ‘pakoras’. They should be ashamed. If any students or youths still say ‘Modi, Modi’ (slogans), they should be slapped,” Tangadagi said.Senior BJP leader and party’s former general secretary C T Ravi said it was a sacrilege on the part of the Congress to assign Culture portfolio to Tangadagi, who spoke in a uncultured manner.Tangadagi said his statement in colloquial language was taken out of context.He asked whether the BJP leaders can answer what happened to the prime minister’s promise of two crore jobs every year.”BJP is staging a demonstration based on my speech in a colloquial language. I challenge them to suspend Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur for his statement that whoever protests against the prime minister should be shot dead,” the minister said.Union Minister Pralhad Joshi who is in the fray from Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency condemned the statement and said he was exploring legal options against Tangadagi.”I ask the Congress party to show how strong your hand’ is (Congress party symbol). Today, more than 70 to 80 per cent youth are chanting ‘Modi-Modi’. They are chanting on their own before Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and the chief minister. I condemn the statement. We will explore legal options as well,” Joshi told reporters in Hubballi.Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar defended Tangadagi, saying that he made his statement in a colloquial language and did not mean what he said.
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