Bengaluru: On the eve of his blitzkrieg electioneering in poll-bound Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi leveraged technology to reach out to leaders, office bearers and party workers, chanting the mantra of development to counter the ruling Congress, on Thursday.
In his interaction through Narendra Modi App, the first such endeavour by a political party, the Prime Minister advised his party to fight the elections with focus on “development, wholesome development and all-round development.” During the 45 minute event, Mr Modi addressed his party colleagues followed by an interaction with legislators and leaders.
Without mentioning the names of Congress and those adopting a left liberal stance, the Prime Minister said: “They tried their best to boost the prospects (of the Congress), and when they realised they could not do any further, they started spreading the word that no party will get a clear mandate and a hung Assembly is in the offing. Don't go by that. Our party will win and secure a clear majority.”
Taking a dig at Congress culture, Mr Modi said the country’s mainstream political narrative was woven with its culture of mis-governance and many of the regional parties could not escape its influence either. “Till these parties come out, the country may not achieve any progress,” he added.
In the context of Lingyat religion issue or Patidar reservation issue in Gujarat, Mr Modi cautioned that these people pick one caste or group and try to offer sops to them during elections. “After the elections, they forget and when the next election comes, they pick another group or caste,” he added. Turning the tables on the Congress on the allegation that the BJP-led NDA government worked only for billionaire businessmen, Mr Modi mocked at its leaders, citing an example of construction of toilets in Karnataka. "When UPA government was in power, they spent Rs 20 lakhs in the last four years and constructed only 350 toilets.
After the NDA government assumed office, in the last four years, the government spent Rs 34 lakh and built 2100 toilets. Are all these toilets built for billionaire businessmen?" He, however, cautioned his party colleagues to counter falsehood of Congressmen. “Earlier, they used mix three or four lies in the pack of 50. Of late, they lie through their teeth, speaking only lies. They even engage foreign agencies to spread canard,” he added.
During the interaction, legislator Sunil Kumar (Karkala) asked about poll preparedness only to receive a mild warning not to about constituencies. "You should focus on winning every booth," he said adding that workers should try to win the elections on their own strength. This statement assumes significance as he tried to drive home the point that workers and leaders should not be complacent waiting for Mr Modi to arrive and change the scene.
In response to another legislator Mr S Suresh Kumar’s query about his take on Bengaluru and urban development, Mr Modi said his government would not view Bengaluru’s development through the narrow perspective. "We want Bengaluru development in the perspective of development of cities in other developed countries. So, it is important," he said reading out assistance offered by the Union government.
When Mrs Shashikala Jolle (Belagavi) asked about rural development Mr Modi explained in detail his vision on how the rural sector could be developed through a series of connected welfare programmes.
