You may get Income Tax notice for purchasing more onions: Cong leader's jibe at Centre

Taking a jibe at the Central government over the soaring price of onions, senior Karnataka Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday said that those who purchase onions in bulk will receive an Income Tax notice. "Today the price of onion is so high that if you buy a lot of onions in bulk, you may get Income Tax notice. Petrol prices, diesel prices, onion prices all have hit the roof," he said while speaking to media.

Earlier, Congress Corporator R Vasanth Kumar from Sampangiramnagar, who had joined BJP two days ago, rejoined Congress. Rao called it BJP's poaching attempt and criticised the party for its "negative, unethical" practices. Rao alleged that BJP had pressurised Kumar to quit Congress and join BJP, however, he rejoined the party fold.

READ: Karnataka bypolls witness poor voter turnout; numbers show 27.19% turnout till 1 pm

While addressing a press conference earlier, Rao stated, "It is an example of what BJP is doing. BJP is known to do all this. They do not have any confidence in their own leaders and they are just trying to poach our leaders. They have pressurised our corporator Kumar. However, he is back with us," he said.

The Congress leader further said that the BJP should stop its attempt to poach other party leaders. Kumar had joined BJP on Tuesday in the presence of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. Earlier, the Congress had removed two of its corporators, M K Gunashekhar and Nethravati Krishnegowda from Shivajinagar constituency for 'anti-party' activities.

READ: Dinesh Gundu Rao: 'BJP Afraid To Lose, Thinking Of Doing Another Operation In Karnataka'

"BJP is trying to defect MLAs"

Ahead of the Karnataka by-polls in 15 assembly constituencies, senior congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao on Tuesday hit out at BJP, anticipating that they might again try defecting MLAs as they did previously which led to the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka. Slamming BJP he said that people will not tolerate if BJP does it again. 

"The survey reports say that they (BJP) are not going to get the numbers. So they are thinking of doing another operation. But I am warning BJP that people will not tolerate this. If they try to do this again, then I think there will be a huge reaction and things will go out of control in the state. There will be very serious consequences," Rao said.