Prime Minister Narendra Modi set off on the latest leg of his campaigning for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka with a rally in Lingayat-dominated Tumakuru on Saturday.
On his third visit to the state since 1 May ahead of the high-stakes elections in the southern state, the PM began with praise for Lingayat seers reminding the gathering of the visit he made after becoming the Prime Minister of India in 2014.
“After becoming PM, I had come here to Tumakuru to seek the blessings of Sri Sri Sivakumar Swami Ji at the Sree Siddaganga Mutt,” said the PM recalling his September 2014 visit to the seat of the Lingayat seer.
Lingayats, who form 17 per cent of the state’s population, hold the key in many seats. Both the Congress and the BJP are vying for their votes.
Showering praises on seers and saints, the PM said that they have contributed immensely to the development of the nation.
PM Modi then attacked the Congress for failing to remove poverty from the country even though ruling the nation for most part since Independence.
“Since the time of Indira Gandhi, the Congress kept saying ‘Gareeb, Gareeb, Gareeb’. Congress failed to transform the lives of the poor of India,” he said, asking, “What has the Congress done in the last 70 years?”
The PM also mocked Congress leaders for claiming to be pro-farmer.
“People who can’t differentiate between red green chilly, and claim to produce gold from potatoes have now started chanting the name of farmers,” Modi said.
He also said that the Congress never tried to solve the water problem in Tumakuru. The PM said that his government has worked on irrigation projects pending for the last 30 years.
The PM also claimed that Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) are in collusion as is evident from their coalition in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (or Bengaluru Municipal Corporation).
On Thursday, at a rally in Bengaluru (north), the PM had asked the people not to waste their votes on the JD(S).
“JD(S) stands at third place and people should not waste their vote on them,” he reportedly said.
The PM is scheduled to address a rally in Gadag, located 390 km from Bengaluru, at 2 pm. He will then proceed to a public meeting in the politically significant Shivamogga (Shimoga) district scheduled for 4 pm before heading for Mangaluru in coastal Karnataka for an evening rally.
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