BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday seemed to have misspoken today saying, “if there were ever a competition for the most corrupt government then the (BJP’s) Yeddyurappa government would come first”.
Shah doesn’t seem to be joking, but he didn’t mean to say that either about BS Yeddyurappa (BSY), who is the BJP’s candidate for chief minister in the Karnataka Assembly elections. The BJP president merely misspoke.
Shortly after Shah claimed at the press conference he was holding in Bengaluru, BSY – who was earlier CM of Karnataka – and sitting to Shah’s right, leaned over to him, possibly to correct him. Then Shah amended what he said – that he meant “Siddaramaiah would come first in a competition for the most corrupt government” – but the damage had been done.
Certainly, Rahul Gandhi and his Congress party could not allow this opportunity to pass from pillorying Shah. The party had a field day doing so.
“…time for a sneak preview of our top secret campaign video! Gifted to us by the BJP President, our campaign in Karnataka is off to a fabulous start. He says Yeddyurappa ran the most corrupt Govt ever… True”, tweeted Congress president Rahul.
Now that the BJP IT cell has announced Karnataka elections, time for a sneak preview of our top secret campaign video!
Gifted to us by the BJP President, our campaign in Karnataka is off to a fabulous start. He says Yeddyurappa ran the most corrupt Govt ever…
True. pic.twitter.com/UYqGDZuKyR
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 27, 2018
“Who knew Amit Shah could also speak the truth- we all concur with you Amit ji BSY-BJP is the most corrupt!” tweeted Divya Spandana of the Karnataka unit of the Congress party.
Who knew @AmitShah could also speak the truth- we all concur with you Amit ji @BSYBJP is the most corrupt! pic.twitter.com/GFbTF3Mg7H
— Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) March 27, 2018
In another tweet, Spandana said that this wasn’t the first time Shah misspoke BSY.
“This isn’t the first time btw- what exactly are Amit Shah’s feelings towards Yeddyurappa? All’s not good in the hood,” she said in the tweet with a clip of another time that Shah misspoke.
In this undated clip, Shah is heard saying, “Yeddyurappa says the BJP doesn’t help with the development of Karnataka.” Again, he meant to say “Siddaramaiah” not “Yeddyurappa”.
This isn’t the first time btw- what exactly are Amit Shah’s feelings towards yedyurappa? All’s not good in the hood- pic.twitter.com/cVzGtsOIz3
— Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) March 27, 2018
The Karnataka government also had a bit of a laugh with Shah’s gaffe. “The Truth can never be Suppressed. Even Amit Shah agrees that Yeddyurappa led the Most Corrupt Government ever,” it tweeted.
The Truth can never be Suppressed.
Even Amit Shah agrees that Yeddyurappa led the Most Corrupt Government ever. #BJP420 pic.twitter.com/KJdSGVIuO5
— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) March 27, 2018
Current chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah claimed that ‘the Shah of Lies’ is finally speaking the truth.
The #ShahOfLies finally speaks truth. Thank you @AmitShah pic.twitter.com/WczQdUfw5U
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) March 27, 2018
After the press conference, Yeddyurappa said the Shah gaffe was a slip of tongue, nothing more. He then proceeded to call the Congress’s Siddaramaiah “stupid”.
“Siddaramaiah is stupid. Let him count the number of times he has done the gaffe if abusing his own government,” said BSY to TOI.