Karnataka Assembly election 2018: Congress fields Mehul Choksi lawyer, BJP blasts move

The BJP and Congress traded barbs on Tuesday as the ruling party at the Centre attacked the latter for having fielded a lawyer who once in 2016 represented Mehul Choksi, apart from Nirav Modi, accused in the multicrore PNB fraud. “What is so special about H S Chandramouli, lawyer of Nirav Modi’s uncle Mehul Choksi, that Congress gave him a ticket from Madikere while denying one to Brijesh Kalappa, Siddaramaiah’s legal advisor and party spokesperson? Rahul’s friends over CM’s aide? #CongressWithNirav,” tweeted Amit Malviya, head of BJP’s IT and social media department.

Malviya further chided Congress. “Congress putting H S Chandramouli’s ticket on hold, after being called out, is an admission of guilt and Rahul Gandhi’s obvious cosy relationship with Nirav and Mehul Choksi, who flourished under UPA and are now absconding. #CongressWithNirav. This came after certain media reports. Later Congress defended its decision to field Chandramouli from Madikeri, who represented Choksi in a cheating case in Karnataka high court in 2016. Kalappa had on Monday put out emotive messages on social media site Facebook while he took a dig at Chandramouli on Twitter when he said he had not represented Choksi and was not given a ticket by his party.  However, Congress clarified that the ticket was not on hold. Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill defended Choksi, saying there would be no change in the candidature.