lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Mar 06, 2019 16:11 IST

Taking aim at the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance in power in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that a small mistake had cost the people of Karnataka and asked the people to vote back a majority government at the Centre in the upcoming Lok Sabha.

Modi was addressing a rally at Kalaburagi in the northern Hyderabad-Karnataka region of the state that borders Telangana after he launched and inaugurated several governmental projects for the state.

The prime minister said the state was being ruled by a remote-controlled chief minister, HD Kumaraswamy, who was doing the bidding of the Congress party. “I launched and inaugurated projects worth around Rs 1,000 crore,” he said. “We have introduced schemes like Ayushmaan Bharat and no poor person will face any problems due to health problems,” he added.

Accusing the state government of creating hurdles for developmental schemes, Modi said the Congress-JD(S) coalition government had not provided the Central government with details of farmers and this had meant that eligible persons under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme could not benefit because the money could not be disbursed.

“I have already given first the instalment of farmers’ income but those who are only interested in politics think that if the money is deposited in farmers’ accounts directly, the community will chant Modi’s name,” the Prime Minister said. “This is why the Congress and the remote-controlled chief minister have not given us any details because of which we have not been able to release funds for the state.”

Calling the coalition partners enemies of farmers, Modi said they would never be forgiven by the community. “The enemies of farmers are sitting in Bengaluru. No farmer will forgive such a government. When the central government is giving money should these people feel pain? Should they have problems? They have problems because Modi is giving money directly to the farmers and there is no room for misappropriation,” he said.

“I want to tell them if they stand in the way of the farmers, the community will destroy them,” Modi said. “They get votes in the name of farmers but forget those promises once elected. Did they not ask for votes by promising farm loan waiver? Did they not say they would do complete waiver? Instead they filed cases against farmers. It is time to hold them to account,” he said. “They themselves don’t stick by their word but will create hurdles for those who work.”

Modi said he did not fear anybody thanks to the blessings of 125 crore people in the country. “The person who has the blessings of 125 crore people doesn’t fear anybody, not in Hindustan not Pakistan. The country has given me this strength,” he said.

Appealing to the people to ensure that the BJP gets a majority in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Modi said only such a government could ensure that developmental works were taken up. “You have seen the problem with a majboor (weak) sarkar. I have come here to tell you that such a small mistake has cost Karnataka so much,” he said.

“After 30 years, the country got a majority government and you’ve seen how it has worked. This is why Modi has become a problem for them and they only think about removing Modi. They are trying to remove Modi, but Modi is trying to end terrorism and poverty,” the Prime Minister said.

Responding to the remarks, state water resources minister DK Shivakumar told HT that the Prime Minister was only interested in politics and not the welfare of the people. “Just because he has to say something against us he is making these comments. If he was so interested in the welfare of the people, he would have deposited Rs 15 lakh in the accounts of the people,” he said.

On the day, Congress rebel leader Umesh Jadhav joined the BJP at the venue of Modi’s rally in Kalaburagi, a day after he submitted his resignation to the post of MLA to Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar. Criticising this, Shivakumar said: “It is a fact that Modi has supported the BJP’s attempts to poach leaders. It is clear now.”