With only a few days left for the Karnataka election campaign to end, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made his first public remarks on the Lingayat issue, accusing the Congress of practising casteism and dividing people.

Addressing an election rally at Sarawad near Vijayapura in north Karnataka, Modi made repeated references to Basaveshwara, the 12th century saint, philosopher and social reformer revered by the Lingayats, the traditional bedrock of the BJP’s support base. The party’s chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa also belongs to the the community.

“Congress believes in the policy of divide and rule...divide on the basis of caste and religion...make brother fight brother. But people of this land of Basaveshwara will not allow it to happen,” he said.

The State’s ruling Congress has recommended religious minority status for the Lingayats, a traditional vote base of the BJP, a move many feel was aimed at splitting their votes.

Charges Congress leaders

Modi said during his election campaign over the last 7-8 days he visited different parts of Karnataka and gathered the impression that “people of Karnataka have not only decided to remove the Congress party from power, but they have also decided to punish them for five years.”

“Can you tell me the name of a single minister who is not facing allegations of corruption?” he asked, a day after Siddaramaiah sent legal notices to Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, threatening to file civil and criminal defamation suit against them for making unsubstantiated allegations against him.

Without naming him, Modi referred to Water Resources Minister MB Patil, who hails from Vijayapura district, and said, “Here everyone knows about his deeds, how contracts are awarded, what is his relationship with contractors and how bundles of notes were found from the almirahs of contractors.”

Takes a swipe at Rahul

With UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi set to address an election rally in Vijayapura later in the day, her first in two years, Modi took a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying even leaders in his party have begun to doubt his ability to steer the Congress to victory in Karnataka.

“Even Congress leaders have begun to feel that the son would not be able to help the party win Karnataka. I saw a Congress leader’s interview. So, send the mother to ensure its candidates can at least save their security deposits,” Modi said.

Accusing the Congress of “spreading lies”, Modi said its government was never serious about protecting women. “...on triple talaq...we brought a bill to protect Muslim women but they opposed the legislation and did not allow it to be passed (in Rajya Sabha).”

Later, addressing a rally in Bengaluru, the Prime Minister sought to hardsell the BJP’s poll promises of job creation, skill development, aid for farmers, and provision of additional water for the city’s citizens.

Poll promises

The PM said that after Yeddyurappa takes charge as chief minister, he will put in motion several initiatives from helping farmers to easing urban transport on metro trains.

“Water for irrigation, increased MSP, modern education, skill development and creation of more jobs will be the agenda of our government,” he said. Further, the BJP will create a ₹2,500 crore fund named after Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda, which will be used to address many welfare-related issues.

Modi also laid emphasis on removing corruption and took several jibes at the Congress, also referring to the Lingayat issue. “The State government was busy pandering to the interest of the ‘family’ instead of focusing on farmer unrest, societal unrest and a split in a religion.”

‘Insult to Kannada’

Additionally, he also pointed out many mistakes in the Congress manifesto – such as wrong language, wrong translation thereby insulting Kannada language.

Making further allusions, Modi said the Congress had given the city to the ‘three musketeers’ who have ‘invested’ in the Middle East. You know who these three are, he said, adding that by indulging in land-grab and abetting the land mafia, the Congress had destroyed the future of the youth in the State.

Accusing the Congress government of ignoring city-specific issues such as lake fires and long traffic jams, he said that this inaction is destroying the city. Modi was referring to the Bellandur lake fires.

He said that he would turn Bengaluru into a zero-garbage city with the help of the city’s youth.

Modi also pointed to India’s standing in the global economic order and said that from the time it was counted among ‘fragile five’ when “Sonia Gandhi remote-controlled the government” it is now being regarded as the world’s new ‘hope’, with projected GDP growth of 7.2 per cent.

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