Sonia, Rahul out on bail in Rs 5000 cr scam: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi are out on bail in connection with a Rs 5000 crore scam.

Addressing a rally here, the Prime Minister launched a scathing attack on the Congress party over corruption.

"Congress President and Sonia Gandhi must answer people why they are out on 'Zamaanat' (bail). They are out on bail in connection with Rs. 5000 crore scam. The party whose chiefs are out on bail are questioning us!" Prime Minister Modi said while defending Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa, who has "already faced court over allegations against him."

He warned the Congress leaders that "don't cross the limits of public life otherwise this is Modi and the repercussions will prove dearer to you".

The Prime Minister alleged that the Congress party was always concerned about money and only money.

"Congress leaders are caught with large stashes of cash and when our Government takes action, they keep on saying that Modi is vindictive," Prime Minister Modi said.

He added that the Congress party neither cared about the present nor the future of Karnataka, but only about remaining in power.

Outlining his priorities for Karnataka, Prime Minister Modi said, "It is my dream to convert Hubballi Dharwad into a smart city. Our government has selected seven cities of Karnataka to develop them as smart cities with a budget of Rs 14000 crore."

Talking about the goal of his government, the Prime Minister said, "We want to build a New India where children get a good education, youth get jobs, elderly get proper healthcare and where there is no discrimination on the lines of caste."

While outlining the achievements of his government, Prime Minister Modi said, "We are connecting distant places with airways, we are expanding the aviation sector. India is changing as the number of people travelling by air has surpassed the number of people travelling in the Air Condition by rail. It is my dream that people who wear hawai chappal (slippers) should do hawai yatra (air travel)."

He also said that when his government assumed power there were around 18,000 villages which did not have electricity since independence, but in a time frame of just 1000 days, all such villages were powered.

"Youth in villages should benefit from long-distance education, farmers should get information digitally. That is why we are giving impetus to the Digital India drive and connecting India's villages through optical fiber network," Prime Minister Modi said.

"We opened up Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras to provide affordable medicines, reduced the prices of stents, brought the Ayushman Bharat Yojana so that the vulnerable families get health assurance," he added.

He took a dig at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah by saying that he was superstitious.

"On one hand we are promising development while on the other hand, the present Karnataka CM believes in superstition. Everyone knows what happened when a crow sat on his car," Prime Minister Modi said.

With less than a week left for the Karnataka Assembly elections, the BJP has intensified its electoral battle through rigorous campaigns across the state.

This was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fourth rally on Sunday. Earlier, he addressed rallies in Chitradurga, Raichur, and Jamakhandi.