Omar Abdullah wants Rahul to take up Modi's 15-min challenge

Modi had challenged Rahul Gandhi to speak in any language about the achievements of his party's government in the state without referring to a piece of paper.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah took to Twitter and expressed 'hope' that Rahul Gandhi would take up Prime Minister Narendra Modi's challenge of speaking about his Congress party's achievement in Karnataka for 15 minutes.

Addressing a rally in poll-bound Karnataka, Prime Minister Modi had challenged Rahul Gandhi to speak in any language about the achievements of his party's government in the state without referring to a piece of paper.

"I hope @RahulGandhi takes up the Hon PM's challenge & speaks w/out using notes for 15 min about the Karnataka Govt & then perhaps we can ask the Hon PM to speak for 2 min about why the rape & murder of an 8-year-old girl is 'a minor issue'(sic)," Abdullah tweeted.

Abdullah in his tweet also sought to link the Prime Minister's dare with controversial comments made by BJP leader and newly sworn in Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta who had termed the Kathua rape and murder case as a "minor issue which should not be given importance by the media"

"I dare the Congress president to speak in Hindi, English or the mother tongue of his mother to deliver a speech in Karnataka for 15 minutes, without reading out from a piece of paper, on the achievements of (his) party's government...people of Karnataka will draw their own conclusion," Modi had said at an election rally Santemaranahalli in Chamaraja district in Karnataka.

Prime Minister Modi had also mocked Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah for his decision to contest from two seats in the 2018 state assembly polls. Siddaramaiah is contesting from Chamundeshwari constituency in Mysuru and also from Badami constituency in Bagalkot district as well. Siddaramaiah's son Yatindra is contesting from Varuna in his first state election.

Modi said Siddaramaiah is not confident of winning and added that the Karnataka CM has made his son a 'scapegoat' by fielding him from his 'old constituency'. Siddaramaiah's son Dr Yatindra is contesting from Varuna seat from where the CM contested and won last time.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs