Slap remark taken out of context, claims Tangadagi

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Minister for Kannada and Culture Shivaraj Tangadagi doubled down on his statement from a day prior, adding that it was taken out of context.

On Monday, he had said in a public programme in Karatagi town in Koppal district that “youth who still chant Modi, Modi” should be slapped.

However, he alleged that broadcast media had snipped his byte and only shown one part while the context was him pointing out that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government had failed the youth on job creation.

Tangadagi made the follow-up comments at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

The original quote of the minister was: “They (BJP) should be ashamed of themselves. How can you ask for votes? They don’t have the ability to do one developmental work. He (Modi) said he’d create two crore jobs yearly. Did he create jobs? When asked about jobs, he asked them to sell ‘pakoras’ and ‘bhajjis’.”

“They ought to be ashamed. If some youth and students are still chanting Modi, Modi, then they should be slapped. It is no small thing. It should bring shame. If they had created two crore jobs yearly, 20 crore jobs should have been created in 10 years,” he added.

However, Tangadagi on Tuesday said that he stood by his words but was being quoted partially.

“BJP is indulging in lying, hypocrisy and cheating and with it is also misguiding our youth. I stand by the statement I made in Karatagi. Why did the media put out my full statement but only played a portion of it?” he asked.

CT Ravi slammed

Tangadi and Congress colleague Ramesh Babu also took offence to BJP leader CT Ravi’s rebuttal to the former over his slapping comment. Ravi had said: “Tangadagi, if you are your father’s son, come and slap whom you wish but I won’t stoop to his level.”

“I spoke against those misleading our youth. I used the language of north Karnataka and spoke as a family member and well-wisher to them,'' Tangadagi said.