Karnataka polls: Who will take Rahul Gandhi's guarantee, asks Assam CM

Taking a jibe at the guarantees promised by the Congress party ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday asked "who will take the guarantee" of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing a public meeting in Udupi, Assam CM said, "Congress is saying that they will give guarantees to the people of Karnataka. First, they should tell, who are they to give a guarantee to anyone? Firstly, tell me who will take Rahul Gandhi's guarantee? He lost elections in UP and fled to Kerala. One day he looks like Saddam Hussein and on another day looks like Amul baby".

"Sonia Ji kept on working for 20 years just to take Rahul Gandhi to some position. A person who doesn't have his own guarantee, how can he give a guarantee to the people of Karnataka," he added.

Meanwhile, the Congress party has announced five main guarantees among others in the poll manifesto.

The guarantees include 200 units of free electricity, Rs 200 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family, 10 kg free rice to every BPL household, Rs 3000 and Rs 1500 for every graduate and diploma youth respectively, and free bus travel for women.

Earlier in the day, the Assam CM had again scathingly attacked Rahul Gandhi over the Congress party's guarantees in the elections.

"Rahul Gandhi is giving a guarantee to the people of Karnataka, but who will take the guarantee of Rahul Gandhi...Sonia Gandhi has been fighting alone for the last 20 years to make Rahul Gandhi stand, and now this person (Rahul Gandhi) comes and gives a guarantee to the people of Karnataka," he said.

Reacting to it, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel lashed out at Himanta accusing him of leaving the Congress party after a probe was launched against him.

Speaking to ANI, Bhupesh Baghel said, "No one is greedy as much as Himanta Biswa Sarma. He left the Congress party just for getting power. He left the party, that gave him the identity. He is such a spineless person, that once a probe was launched on him, he ran into the BJP's lap"."Today, the man who changed his party is questioning Congress. Does he even have the morality to accuse Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi?" Baghel further said.

The 224-seat Karnataka assembly will go to polls on May 10 and the counting of votes will take place on May 13. The majority mark to form the government is 113 seats.