Cong wants to make K’taka its ATM, fill its coffers: Shah

The Congress is degenerating across the country and has now set its eyes on Karnataka to make the state its ATM in order to fill its coffers at the national-level, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Friday

The Congress is degenerating across the country and has now set its eyes on Karnataka to make the state its ATM in order to fill its coffers at the national-level, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Friday.

Union home minister Amit Shah with former Karnataka CM leader BS Yediyurappa and others, in Bengaluru. (ANI)

Assembly elections in the state are due in April. Shah, who began his two-day visit to the state, met former chief minister and veteran party leader B S Yediyurappa at his residence for breakfast and held discussions.

Speaking at a beneficiaries’ meeting organised by the Karnataka cooperative department, Shah appealed to the people not to give a “half and incomplete government” but to ensure full majority for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Besides Bommai, Yediyurappa and state cooperation minister S T Somashekar were among those present at the event.

“The Congress party is degenerating across the country, the Congress people don’t have any state with them that can fill the Congress’s central treasury, they want an ATM. They want Karnataka to become Congress’s ATM. The corrupt Congress’s eyes are now set on Karnataka,” he said.

“Wherever the Congress has formed the government, their history is corruption, humiliation of Dalits, OBCs (Other Backward Classes) and Adivasis, and strengthening anti-national forces,” he added.

The Congress is currently in power in three states – Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh.

Shah also accused the earlier Congress regime in the state of withdrawing cases against members of the now banned Popular Front of India (PFI).

“Siddaramaiah’s Congress government used to withdraw cases against PFI, but the Narendra Modi government, by banning PFI, has secured the entire south India,and also the entire country,” he said.

The minister said that by abrogating Article 370 (special status) in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, Prime Minister Modi has put a bridle on terrorism in the entire country. “Modi’s mission is to make the entire country prosperous, take forward every state, including Karnataka,” he said.

Shah also alleged that the Congress was “delaying, obstructing and misleading” the country for 70 years over the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya but Modi laid the foundation for the temple which will be ready soon.

Despite repeated attempts Congress spokespersons remained unavailable for comment.

Earlier in the day, Shah met Yediyurappa – the tallest leader in the state – at his residence for breakfast and held discussions.

As Shah alighted from his car, Yediyurappa stepped forward to offer the bouquet but the home minister told him to give it to his younger son, and chose to accept it from him.

A beaming Shah and Vijayendra, who also got a pat on the back from the former BJP President, then posed for photographers. Thereafter, Shah accepted a bouquet from Yediyurappa.

Photographs also later showed Vijayendra personally serving breakfast to Shah.

The gesture assumes significance considering the recent objection by BJP national general secretary C T Ravi to Yediyurappa’s announcement that Vijayendra would contest from Shikaripura in the assembly elections in the state – an indication that all is not well within the party in power in the state.

(With agency inputs)