Maha polls: PM Modi seeks votes for tainted candidate

Mumbai, Oct 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi who during the electioneering before the Lok Sabha polls vowed to send tainted politicians behind the bar on Thursday sought votes for BJP candidate with a criminal background.

Modi in a rally in Rahuri city of Maharashtra urged the public to re-elect the sitting BJP MLA Shivaji Kardile who reportedly faces a dozen criminal charges, including that of murder and extortion.

According to reports, Kardile has spent a year in jail in 2002 in connection with the district cooperative bank scam. In 2011, he was booked for murder, criminal intimidation, forgery, and attempted murder in number of cases.

Ironically, at the time when PM Modi sought votes for Kardile, he urged public to shun tainted candidates of Congress and NCP. Addressing the rally, Modi said Congress and NCP have encouraged criminalisation in politics and the time has come to send the bahubalis (strongmen) of these parties to jail.

Kardle who shared stage with Modi said, "These cases have been framed by my rivals to tarnish my image, but the people of my constituency are with me."

Earlier, Modi shared stage with Anil Gote who is an accused in the multi-crore Telgi scam.

The Maharashtra Assembly polls are scheduled to be held on October 15.

OneIndia News