KARWAR, BELAGAVI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday sought to turn the tables on the Congress over its 40 per cent commission allegation by calling it a 85 per cent commission party. He quoted a former Congress Prime Minister (Rajiv Gandhi) who had admitted that if Re 1 leaves New Delhi, only 15 paise reaches the intended beneficiary.
The PM, who arrived in Ankola to address a campaign rally, was presented a Yakshagana headgear of Arjuna and an idol of Idagunji Ganapathi. Starting his speech in Kannada, he peppered his address with ‘sahodara sahodariyare’, ‘bandhu bhaginiyare’ and ‘snehitare’. Surprisingly, here too, like in Moodabidre, people refused translation of his speech. After the Congress announced in its manifesto that it will ban the Bajrang Dal, the PM has been invoking Bajrang Bali in all his public rallies.
Stressing that the BJP aims to make Karnataka the No. 1 state, the Prime Minister said that when the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) ruled the state, the foreign investment was Rs 30,000 crore which tripled to Rs 90,000 crore after the double engine government assumed charge. Referring to remarks by Congress leaders against him, the PM said there is no culture of abusing people in Karnataka and asked the voters to punish the Congress.
The PM said the Congress had created more fake beneficiaries for various government schemes than the population of Karnataka and said 10 crore fake names were included in the lists of beneficiaries.
“The Congress is angry with me today because I put an end to this corruption. Every year, about Rs 2.75 lakh crore, which should have rightfully reached citizens, the poor and women was lost to corruption”, he said. The PM said his government set up a separate ministries for the welfare of fishermen and Adivasis.
In Belagavi, Modi began his speech by invoking Kittur Rani Chennamma, Sangolli Rayanna and Basaveshwara. He said the Congress employed shortcut governance which led to votebank politics and it also indulged in dividing society. “Today’s youth will not give their future in the hands of the Congress and JD(S)”, he said.
Cautioning people, he said there are conspiracies being hatched to change the image of Karnataka due to Congress’ appeasement politics. The Congress and parties with similar ideologies should be defeated. “One family in Delhi controls the Congress and the JD(S) is the private limited of one family”, he taunted. “Both parties have been rejected everywhere. Those who cannot shape their own future cannot help anyone”, he added.
Asking the crowds in all the rallies to hold up their mobile flashlights, Modi asked them to do him a personal favour and visit every household and convey his respects to them. The PM, however, cancelled his visit to Kalaburagi district where history-sheeter Manikanta Rathod is contesting from Chittapur constituency.