Express News Service By

In separate rallies in Davangere and Mangalore, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi stuck to his routine of targeting the Congress leadership.

At a huge ‘Bharata Gellisi’ rally in Davangere, he termed the Congress as being an enemy of democracy and referred to the Nehru-Gandhi family as ‘Nakli Gandhis’.

He then took his attack on the Grand Old Party to a new high. Noting that democracy had four enemies— opportunistic politics, dynastic rule, communalism and casteism, he said the Congress had all these features.

“The Congress, which has ruled the country for about six decades, had made people believe that corruption cannot be driven away. Corruption and the Congress are twins and follow each other in ruling,” he said.

Declaring that the Congress was steeped in nepotism and dynastic rule, he said the party was hailed for its ‘different’ thinking when Mahatma Gandhi was at the helm. “It had ideological commitment. But after the entry of Nakli (fake) Gandhis, the party thought our country was like a beehive and honey can be tasted with absolute power. But, the BJP thinks of the country as being our mother. For us, serving the poor is like serving God,” he said.

He launched a veiled attack on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the issue of women’s security. Referring to Rahul’s statement that women should be given protection, Modi asked whether the Congress had framed any rules or laws to boost security for women.

Touching on his favourite theme of development, Modi assured that the BJP would revive its grand plan of linking major rivers to alleviate the problems of farmers.

Former prime minister A B Vajpayee’s dream of linking Ganga and Cauvery rivers will surely help reduce water problems in all States and get maximum water for irrigation and drinking, he said. In Ahmedabad, the Sabaramati was linked with the Narmada and like this, 20 rivers were linked to end water problems in Gujarat, Modi claimed.

At his rally in Mangalore, Modi said, “The Congress, without a leader or a policy, lacks in discipline. This is why corruption has increased manifold.”

He went on criticise the party for squandering its mandate and opportunities. Opportunities to develop coastal regions, tourism, IT, biotechnology and nanotechnology were squandered and thus a huge chunk of youth remained unemployed, he added.

Pepper Makes a Point

Mangalore: Narendra Modi stopped half-way in his speech at Mangalore to seek a equivalent word in Kannada for pepper from those on the stage. Modi said ‘Karimenasu’ (pepper) is used in recipes but Congressmen used it in Parliament. “It is a poignant moment while witnessing Congress MPs shed tears due to impact of pepper. Congress leaders should cry for being involved in corruption and bringing development to a grinding hall,” he said. He connected with the people by greeting them in Tulu.

Recalling Glory of Davangere to Win Hearts

In an attempt to establish an instant rapport with the audience, Modi recalled the glorious past of Davangere. “Davangere was once called the Manchester of India with many cotton mills, but today all these vanished,” he said. He then referred to the success that Gujarati farmers had in growing, processing and exporting fibres and garments. Modi hailed B S Yeddyurappa, who was present at the rally, for having presented a ‘revolutionary’ farmer-friendly budget during his tenure as chief minister.

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