Addressing his fifth election rally in Karnataka in two days, PM Modi accused the Congress and the JD(S) of encouraging corruption.
Published May 01, 2023 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated May 01, 2023 | 8:39 AM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending a road show. (Twitter)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned people in Karnataka against the “dynastic Congress and JD(S)” on Sunday, 30 April.
The prime minister’s remark came even as his party, the BJP, has given tickets to the relatives of local leaders for the 10 May Assembly polls.
Addressing a poll campaign meeting in Channapatna in the Ramanagara district of Karnataka, Modi alleged that the Congress and the JD(U) perceived Karnataka as an ATM and that they found an opportunity in instability.
“The Congress and the JD(S) are responsible for the instability. They pretend to be two separate parties but are one in their hearts. They are together in Delhi. They assist each other in Parliament,” he said.
Incidentally, he made the statement a few days after Hassan MLA Preetam J Gowda fuelled speculation that the BJP and the JD(S) had reached a tacit understanding to defeat the Congress in the state.
Gowda said on 25 April that voting for the JD(S) was, in fact, voting for the BJP.
The MLA later clarified that he would retire from politics if he had stated that there was an understanding between the two parties.
Channapatna in the Ramanagara district is a JD(S) bastion, where the party’s second-in-command, HD Kumaraswamy, is seeking re-election.
He won the segment in 2018, defeating the BJP’s CP Yogeeshwara.
This was Modi’s fifth public meeting in the past two days in poll-bound Karnataka.
Interestingly, the BJP nominated family members of party leaders in three seats, even though it has repeatedly been critical of “dynastic politics”.
The family members were given tickets to nip any possible dissent over dropping the leaders.
Former minister and MLA Aravind Limbavali’s wife Manjula Arvind Limbavali is the BJP candidate in Mahadevapura, while Katta Jagadish, son of former Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, is seeking the mandate under the saffron banner in Hebbal.
Koppal Lok Sabha member Karadi Sanganna’s daughter-in-law Manjula Amaresh has been made the candidate from the Koppal Assembly segment. Sanganna has been eyeing the segment.
Congress and JD(S) are one. Both are dynasty driven parties and have no vision for Karnataka. pic.twitter.com/bIowaTSinQ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 30, 2023
Attacking the two rival parties, Modi said, “Both are dynastic parties and encourage corruption. Both parties see opportunity in instability.”
He added: “For a very long time, Karnataka has seen the drama of unstable government. Unstable governments provide a chance to loot.”
He also said: “There is always a fight to loot and (the focus is) not development in the unstable government.”
Hitting out at the JD(S), the prime minister said the party had openly declared that if it got 15-20 seats in the election to the 224-member Assembly, it would be the kingmaker.
“This selfish approach may benefit one family, but it causes losses to lakhs of families of Karnataka,” he said.
Incidentally, several disgruntled BJP leaders, including former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, have recently crossed the floor to the Congress and JD(S).
(With PTI inputs)
