Bengaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G. Parameshwara on Sunday said the Prime Minister’s speech was a bundle of lies and misleading.

Responding to Modi’s accusation against the State government, Dr. Parameshwara said the statements were irresponsible and without basis.

“The Prime Minister was dishing out lies to the nation for political gains. It is an insult to the state,” he said.

Defending the law and order situation in the State, Dr. Parameshwara pointed out that Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, both governed by the BJP, had a higher share in the total crimes reported in the country — 9.5 per cent and 8.9 per cent respectively.

“Karnataka does not even figure in the top 10 States in terms of the number of crimes reported in the country, yet Modi calls our State as a criminal State. We ask the Prime Minister on what basis he is terming the State as a criminal capital?”

On the announcement of suburban railway for Bengaluru in the Union Budget, Dr. Parameshwara said, “Modi says that the Union government has given funding for Rs. 17,000 crore, whereas the share of the State and the Union governments in the project is 20 per cent each while 60 per cent comes from financial institutions. He is spreading lies about the Centre’s contribution.”