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Congress called its veteran leader in Karnataka because they are scared: PM Modi
PM Modi expressed gratitude for the overwhelming response he received during his roadshow in Bengaluru earlier in the day, which was cut short due to the NEET exam
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the Congress was “scared” and had called its veteran leader (Sonia Gandhi) for campaigning in Karnataka after its “lies did not work”.
Ending his poll campaign with a rally in Shivamogga, the prime minister without naming Gandhi, took a swipe at the Congress leader for addressing a rally on Saturday in Huballi-Dharward, from where former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jagadish Shettar is the Congress candidate.
Gandhi addressed a rally in in northern Karnataka’s Huballi, where she accused PM Modi and the BJP of spreading “falsehoods” and “dividing” the country.
Sonia Gandhi, 76, had not participated in an election rally since the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
“Now, the Congress is so afraid and scared that when their lies did not work, then those who are not taking part in campaigning are being brought here. The Congress has started dumping the responsibility of defeat on each other,” Modi said.
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During the rally, Modi, who was presented with a Hanuman idol and saffron-coloured Shivaji turban, declared that the Congress’ “balloon of lies” was no longer effective, as the people had “burst it.”
PM Modi expressed gratitude for the overwhelming response he received during his roadshow in Bengaluru earlier in the day, which was cut short due to the NEET exam.
PM Modi embarked on an 8-kilometre roadshow in Bengaluru on Sunday, covering the eastern part of the city. The two-day mega roadshow ended at the Trinity Circle.
The PM began his rally with the ‘Bajrang Bali ki jai’. “I have received so much love from the people of Karnataka, that language is not going to be a barrier between us,” Modi said.
Further slamming the Congress, Modi said, “Both politics and development work of Congress are only on paper. They can never develop Karnataka. They are just peddling lies. Women of Karnataka were completely neglected by the Congress government in the past. BJP has worked for the farmers of the state. Now all the lies of Congress are fully exposed and the BJP will form a government with full majority (in Karnataka),” Modi said.
Sunday’s affair was shorter than the three-hour roadshow the prime minister held on Saturday in Bengaluru, on a different route. It marked the end of campaigning in Bengaluru for the saffron party ahead of the Assembly polls slated on May 10.
Thousands of supporters lined both sides of the road, showering flowers on the prime minister and chanting slogans such as ‘Modi, Modi’, and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ amid the sounds of the beating of drums.
The PM was accompanied in the specially-designed vehicle by Union minister of state and Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Bengaluru Central MP P C Mohan.
The roadshow, earlier scheduled to be held for eight hours on Saturday alone, was split into two parts to avoid inconvenience to the public. On Saturday, Modi held a 26 km roadshow in the state capital, passing through parts of south and central Bengaluru, touching about a dozen Assembly segments.
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According to Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, around a million people showed up for PM Modi’s mega road show.
Slamming Modi for causing inconvenience to the public with its roadshow in Bengaluru, the Karnataka Congress took to Twitter and said: “If you look at the roads being blocked and the people locked up inside, it is doubtful that India really got independence. A woman with a young child had to fight with the police because could not take the auto. Kannadigas have had no benefit from Modi, and now, there is no peace as well. Is this democracy?”
Attacking Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said only his “jacket” is famous and he changes it four times a day.
“Modi keeps saying what the Congress has done in the last 70 years. ‘Arre Bhai’, if we hadn’t done anything in 70 years, you would not have been the PM of this country. We brought independence,” Kharge said at a public meeting in Kalaburagi on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Union home minister Amit Shah held a massive roadshow at the Belagavi South constituency, where he was seen along with Belagavi South BJP candidate Abhay Patil, and urged the people of Belagavi to vote for the BJP.
Karnataka will go to polls on May 10 and the counting of votes will be on May 13.
