Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Congress was abusing him, the OBCs and the Lingayat community in Karnataka, because people’s enthusiasm at his poll rallies showed a BJP government was returning to power with a clear majority in the State.
Addressing a rally in Badami after an unprecedented 25-km road show in Bengaluru, he said people had crowded on both sides of the road-show with families, and their affection confirmed that the “double-engine” Government of the state would return to power.
Modi said while the BJP was getting people’s support because it had come up with a road-map to make Karnataka No 1 State in the country, the Congress poll talk was restricted to appeasement of its vote-bank, closure of BJP’s welfare schemes and abusing OBCs and the Lingayats.
If all this did not appear sufficient, the Congress turned to abusing him too, he said. The whole of Karnataka is angry over this strategy of the Congress and one can hear from every corner people have made up their mind to bring back the BJP Government to power again, the Prime Minister said.
Hitting out at former state chief minister Siddaramaiah, the prime minister said that basic facilities had not reached the poor in the Bagalkote region. “Siddaramaiah has stopped campaigning in this constituency because he has understood the wave. But, people should ask him, why the poor people in the Bagalkote region were deprived of all the basic facilities,” he said.
More than three lakh people received tap water from the BJP government. Houses were sanctioned for more than 25000 people. More than six lakh people received health cover under Ayushman Bharat, eight lakh got jan dhan accounts and seven lakh people received benefits of Mudra Yojana,” he said.
“I heard Siddaramaiah said development in the past three and a half years was done by him. This proves only a double-engine government is effective in ensuring development, and without any discrimination. The BJP Government ensured improvement in roads, highways, railway projects,” he said.
This could not be ensured by a party like Congress with a track record of “consuming” 85 per cent commission, the Prime Minister said. The Congress can never work with a sense of service. This was publicly admitted by Rajiv Gandhi when he said only 15 paise reached people when the Central Government sent 100 paise, Modi said.
“You can assess yourself, 85 per cent was looted which was that hand which took away the 85 per cent commission. This was the way of working of the Congress and kept India backward. All those infirmities are being ended by the BJP Government,” the Prime Minister said.
The BJP Government brought Aadhaar, Mobile and Jan Dhan Accounts trishul to end all those evils. In the last nine years, the BJP Government directly transferred Rs 29 lakh crore in the accounts of people of poor and middle income groups without theft of even a single paise, he said.
“If this was to be done under a Congress-ruled Government, Rs 24 lakh crore would have been looted by Congress leaders, as per the arithmetic given by Rajiv Gandhi himself. Modi has caused a loss of Rs 24 lakh crore to the Congress. This is being spent on the country’s development. In such a situation, it is not surprising the Congress is abusing Modi,” he said.
The BJP Government helped people get their rightful dues, and save money in amenities like electricity through LED bulbs. People save Rs 20,000 crore every year through this measure. The Ayushman scheme saved Rs 80,000 crores of people in medical treatment, cheap medicines through Jan Aushadi stores helped people save Rs 20,000 crore, cheaper stents for heart and cheaper knee implants saved Rs 15,000 crore.
“BJP and BJP policies have helped you save money in mobile data. At one time mobiles were mostly imported. Today India is one of the largest mobile manufacturers in the world. At one time there were just two factories, today there are 200 factories,” he said.
Data is much cheaper during the BJP Government. Before 2014, one GB data cost Rs 300. Under the BJP government it is only Rs 10. As a result people are now saving Rs 4,000 to 5,000 per month.
India was rich not just in gold but art and literature too. Karnataka has rich traditions but the Congress did not respect this. The Congress does not call India the mother of democracy but prefers to attack India’s democracy. The Congress is still suffering from the slave mentality, he said.
BJP has honoured the state’s old traditional crafts and helped in tourism potential. Seven new mega textile parks are being set up, one in Kalaburagi in Karnataka. The Congress neglected all this, he said.
Pulses production had fallen during the Congress rule because it was interested in imports and procured a small quantity. Congress paid in five years Rs 600 crores in MSP for pulses. The BJP government has given Rs 80,000 crores in MSP for pulses. This has increased pulses production in the country and in Karnataka. Similar initiatives have been taken to raise edible oil production.
A government which fights among itself, or with the Central government for five years, will be no good for Karnataka, the prime minister said. That’s why a double-engine Government was needed in the State. The Congress is only interested in its vote bank but the BJP is integrating all sections, he said.