MANGALURU: In a scathing attack on the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the grand old party protects the “masterminds of terror” and would get down to the streets to protect terrorists. “If there is instability in Karnataka, your fortune will also remain unstable. Congress is the enemy of peace in Karnataka… it is the enemy of development. Congress protects the masterminds of terror…promotes appeasement,” said PM Modi.
Modi was addressing an election campaign rally at Moodabidre in Dakshina Kannada district on Wednesday. The PM started his speech invoking chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Bajrang Bali ki Jai’. He then addressed the crowd in Tulu, drawing much cheer.
As he started speaking in Hindi later on, the crowd said they don’t need interpretation of his speech. The PM then asked the crowd if all understand Hindi, including those from villages, to which the crowd replied with a roaring ‘yes’. Modi then said that their wish is his command and that the people of the country are his remote control. He then said ‘sahodara-sahodariyare’ (brothers and sisters) in Kannada and resumed his speech.
He exhorted the people to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and claimed that the grand old party promotes appeasement. “Those who are going to vote for the first time in their life are going to decide the future of Karnataka. My sons and daughters who are going to vote for the first time, if you want to make your career, do the work of your mind, then it will not be possible with the Congress”, PM Modi said.
He said that May 10 is polling day, and BJP’s resolve is to make Karnataka the Number-1 state. “Udupi and Dakshina Kannada district are known for toppers in education.The BJP’s resolve is to make Karnataka Number 1 in the country, to strengthen modern infrastructure in Karnataka, to make Karnataka a manufacturing superpower. The Congress, on the other hand, is asking for votes in the name of retirement…for undoing the development initiatives of the BJP”.
“This is our roadmap whereas the Congress wants your vote because it wants to reverse the schemes of the BJP and the work done for the development of the people here,” PM Modi claimed. He also exhorted party workers to visit every house and encourage people to vote for the BJP. He concluded his speech with ‘ Bajrang Bali ki Jai, ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’. (With Agency inputs)