Congress enemy of peace and development: PM in frontal attack on party in Karnataka

NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: Hitting out at the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the entire politics of the party was based on the "divide and rule" policy. The Prime Minister accused the Congress of going across the world and defaming the country at a time when India's democracy and development were being appreciated and respected globally. Leading the party campaign, Mr Modi addressed three back-to-back rallies in Mudbidri, Mulki and Ankola in the poll-bound state.

Reaching out to the voters, the Prime Minister said that Congress and its leaders hate and abuse him because he ended their corrupt system and urged the people of Karnataka to punish those indulging in abuse while casting their vote in polling booths on May 10.

Addressing a public meeting here in Dakshina Kannada district of coastal Karnataka, the PM called the Congress the enemy of peace and development and also accused the party of insulting and abusing India's defence forces.

"Congress is an enemy of peace and development. When the Congress party is there, investors will flee. The Congress protects 'aakas' (masters) of terror, they encourage appeasement," Mr Modi said.

Addressing the rally, Mr Modi noted that the Congress's only identity is appeasement politics. "Will you (the voters) allow such a Congress to come to power? Will you allow Karnataka to be ruined? Across the country, whichever state wants peace and development, the first thing people there do is oust the Congress from there. If there is peace in society and the country is progressing, the Congress cannot sit peacefully or will not be able to digest it. The Congress's entire politics is based on divide and rule policy," Mr Modi said.

Alleging that the Congress tried to save those who were arrested for conspiring to spread terror, he claimed that it not only withdrew cases against such anti-social elements but also released them.

The Prime Minister further alleged that the "reverse-gear" Congress also takes electoral help from anti-national forces.

Pointing out that the whole country respects and honours the defence forces, Mr Modi claimed that the Congress insulted and abused the military brass and soldiers.

"The whole world appreciates and respects India's democracy and development, but the Congress is going across the world defaming the country. America, Australia, Japan and the UK... In every corner of the world, is India being appreciated or not? Why? It is not because of Modi, it is happening because of your (people's) votes. It's the strength of your votes that formed a strong and stable government in Delhi," he said.

Addressing a public meeting in Uttara Kannada district, the Prime Minister said that the Congress and its leaders hate and abuse him because he has ended their corrupt system.

"In this election, the Congress is seeking votes in the name of its leader, who is retiring. The other way in which they are seeking votes is by abusing Modi. Will anyone in Karnataka accept this abuse culture? Will anyone like abusing someone? Does anyone like even a small man being abused? Will Karnataka forgive those abusing?" he asked.

Appealing to people to punish those indulging in abuse, the Prime Minister said, "What will you (people) do this time? Will you punish them? Will you punish the abusers? When you press the button in the polling booth, punish by saying, Jai Bajrangbali."

Reiterating that the BJP's only aim is to make Karnataka the number one state in the country and that the party has a roadmap for it and is ready to put in efforts, Mr Modi said that the Congress has lost credibility because of its decades of misrule.

"False allegations and false guarantees are the Congress' only support. The Congress, which ruled the country for decades, concentrated on its own development instead of the country's and had prepared a system to ensure that its leaders' treasury was filled with black earnings," he said.

Accusing the Congress of a fake name scam with fake names in the government beneficiaries list during its rule, the Prime Minister said, "The fake names were more than Karnataka's population and in their name money was spent, which used to go into the account of Congress' corrupt people's black treasury. The Congress had ensured that about 10-crore fake names were in government documents across the country. Names of people who were never born or existed were added to the government's beneficiary lists. Where did the money sent to these names go? The money was going into the pockets of the Congress."

Addressing a third public meeting in Belagavi district, the PM accused the Congress and the JD(S) of "shortcut" governance and said that the 21st century youth of the country did not want to leave their future in the hands of such people and get cut short.

"The people of Karnataka should be cautious about the shortcut governance of the Congress and the JD(S). Shortcut governance has led to the birth of vote bank politics in the country. When someone indulges in shortcut politics, he or she thinks about dividing society like the Congress does," the Prime Minister said.

He mentioned that the Congress and the JD(S) might have benefited from shortcut politics earlier, but this was the 21st century and youth today didn't want to leave their future in the hands of shortcuts and get cut short.

"Because of this shortcut politics, despite so many years after Independence, we are facing issues such as power supply not reaching villages and the lack of proper shelters, bank accounts and water supply. The BJP, with the vision of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, was trying to end the issue of shortcut governance," he added.