Deputy PM says Kılıçdaroğlu is Turkey's national security issue

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ on Thursday said the country’s main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) is part of “a big campaign of slander against Turkey.”

“There is a big campaign of slander against Turkey; the FETÖ and U.S. sympathizers in the New York leg, and the CHP in the Turkey leg,” Bozdağ said.

“Kılıçdaroğlu has become Turkey’s national security issue. Shouldn’t he reveal the content of the documents he claims as proof? He could not prove his claims and now he is miserable,” he added.

Bozdağ said Kılıçdaroğlu’s “fraud, lies and immorality” was proven by his lack of evidence.

On Tuesday, Kılıçdaroğlu, head of the CHP, in a speech to party lawmakers, presented papers he alleged were evidence of his claims that relatives of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had stashed money abroad.

“He does not reveal who gave him the so-called evidence. Was it FETÖ, intelligence services of foreign counties or did he fabricate it himself? If it was an enemy of Turkey, then he must explain this alliance,” said Bozdağ.

“Kılıçdaroğlu is trying to embed dirty politics in Turkey. He doesn’t even look at whether whoever is handing him claims against the president and his family is credible. He is blinded by hatred,” he added.

Erdoğan, who has led Turkey since 2003, dismissed accusations by the CHP leader as lies and said he would take the CHP leader to court.

About the “handful of papers” Kılıçdaroğlu brandished at the parliament during his party’s group meeting on Tuesday, Erdoğan said the opposition party leader did not submit this evidence to either a media outlet or any legal departments.