Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s economic adviser, Basavaraj Rayareddi, has stirred a major controversy after suggesting a possible link between the BJP and the deadly blast near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed 12 people.
Rayareddi questioned the timing of the explosion, which occurred a day before the second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, implying that the BJP “might have felt they couldn’t win Bihar after the first phase.”
“I can’t directly allege that since I don’t have proof. But it happened a day before the Bihar elections. It raises a question in my mind… BJP is not as clean as they claim. Definitely, we have some suspicion,” Rayareddi told reporters.
The explosion took place on Monday evening when a Hyundai i20 car exploded near the Red Fort Metro station, killing nine people on the spot and injuring over 20. The death toll rose to 12 on Tuesday after three more succumbed to injuries.
Initial investigations suggest the blast involved improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that may have detonated accidentally. Authorities have registered a case under anti-terror laws and are probing all angles, but no suspects have been formally named or arrested so far.
Rayareddi’s comments have drawn sharp criticism from the BJP, which has accused the Congress of politicising a national tragedy and spreading baseless allegations without evidence.