Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the Congress wants to give reservation on religion basis to Muslims because it knows the BJP already has the largest number of SC, ST and OBC MPs in Parliament, and can be challenged only with the support of its “vote bank” of Muslims.

Addressing a BJP election meeting in Bagalkot, Karnataka, he said the Congress thinks it can strengthen its vote bank by transferring to it a share of the OBCs’ reservation benefit. “Will you accept this,” he said.

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The Prime Minister said “I want to assure my Dalit, Adivasi and OBC brothers, and I give guarantee that I will not allow any such plans of the Congress to succeed, and to protect your rights and reservation, Modi will go to any length.”

He said the 2024 poll will decide the future of India. Mr Modi asked people that the Congress which has focused only on looting the country during its governments, “will you trust it taking care of such a large country. Can a party which has a history of looting the country, can it be trusted again,” he said. The party only deprived the poor and marginalized sections of basic amenities in its 60 years of rule.

To continue its loot, the party is now treating Karnataka as its ATM, he said. In a short time of its government in the State, the party has emptied the treasury; legislators are not getting timely allocations from legislators’ development funds; and the Centre has information about the State government’s economic condition, the day is not far, when the Karnataka government will not be able to pay salaries to its employees, he said.

There is hardly any welfare scheme which has not been targeted for corruption by the Congress, the Prime Minister said. That is why all people with experience say, the return of Congress can only mean disaster.

He said the Congress is not running a government in Karnataka, but an extortion gang. The whole government is busy planning where to target money. The moment money comes into the Treasury, they plan how to loot it. Bengaluru and Karnataka are known as Tech Hubs, but the Congress state government has converted the Tech Hub into a Tanker Hub.

For water, tanker mafias are charging whatever they like, and the Congress is getting its commissions. The Congress is not satisfied with just this. It is dreaming of a scam of lakhs of crores of Rupees like 2G. “Do these people looting Karnataka deserve punishment on the 7 May or not,” he asked.

Mr Modi said he wanted to alert people that the Congress government in the State has started a campaign to change the Constitution and deprive the SCs and STs of their reservation rights. The Karnataka government has already given a share of the OBC quota to the Muslims, he said.

The party has been mentioning in its manifestoes making a law to give reservation on religion basis and even in its latest manifesto, the party has given similar signals, he said.

The Prime Minister said some people in frustration are misusing technology in the current elections. He is among the toppers in the use of social media, but he has made a positive use of this and to share feelings of people.

“But these people who have lost elections and lost ground, are using technology, making fake videos, using artificial intelligence, and putting on the social media obnoxious videos in my voice, thereby posing a big threat,” he said.

“I appeal to people about this big threat, you can inform police and the BJP; legal action will be taken, and they will be taught a lesson. In Madhya Pradesh elections, they used Amitabh Bachchan’s voice and the actor had to file an FIR finally. We have to be alert,” he said.

Warning anybody attempting a terrorist attack, he recalled the Balakot surgical strikes and said “I don’t attack from the back.” At the time of the Balakot strike, he said “I had alerted the Press about the attack, but I wanted to inform Pakistan about the air strike and killing of their men, but they would not take the call.”

“So we waited, and the talk took place at 12 midnight and then I informed the world about the air strike, and how Pakistan was taught a lesson. I don’t hide, and don’t attack from hiding, I do it openly, and for the country. I want to tell even now those who try to kill our people, this is New India, will enter your homes to attack you,” he said.

Recalling the Hubballi killing of a girl in Karnataka, he said she was stabbed to death in a shocking incident, but the Congress in the interest of its vote bank was trying to speak against the girl, and protect the attackers. The party showed that for appeasement, it can go to any length.

He said extremist forces are gaining strength in the State. If any shopkeeper listens to Hanuman Chalisa, he is attached. In the Bengaluru bomb blast by terrorists, the government said a gas cylinder had burst; have they lost their head. “This is not normal crime, this is terrorism, and the government is promoting this mentality,” he said.