The PM and aspiring PM 'face-to-face' in Karnataka

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who aspires to be Prime Minister, were face-to-face in Karnataka on the second last day for the campaigning.

Working seriously on his 'Congress Mukt Bharat' mission, Prime Minister Modi used all of his oratory skills to lambast the Congress in his four election rallies on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Modi did not miss the political fodder provided by the Congress president, who, on Tuesday, said he would become the Prime Minister if Congress emerges as the single largest party after the 2019 general elections.

Addressing a rally in Bidar, Prime Minister Modi took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi over his remarks that he was ready to be the prime minister.

"The newly elected Congress president has pre-announced that he will become the Prime Minister of the country in 2019. Congress thinks that the Prime Minister's seat is reserved for just one dynasty," Prime Minister Modi said.

Further attacking the Congress, Prime Minister Modi, while hinting at Rahul's meeting with Lalu Prasad, who has been convicted in several fodder scam cases, said Congress leaders have the time to meet corrupt people but had no time to meet jailed freedom fighters arrested by the then British authorities.

On the other hand, Rahul said in his Basavanagudi rally that people of Karnataka will reject Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatriya Janata Party.

The Congress president also attacked the Prime Minister for being silent on the issue of alleged Dalit atrocities.

"While Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay his tribute to BR Ambedkar, he stays quiet when people from SC and ST communities are attacked. People will throw out Narendra Modi and the BJP from Karnataka first, followed by Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also quick to corner Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over his gaffe in his Belagavi rally.

While campaigning in Mandya district's Malavalli on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi instead of Congress candidate Narendra Swamy.

Reacting to Siddaramaiah's gaffe, Prime Minister Modi said, "The Chief Minister was campaigning for a Congress candidate whose name is also Narendra but he only kept saying Narendra Modi and praised Narendra Modi too. The truth seems to have come out."

During his Bangarpet rally, Prime Minister Modi said 6 Cs of Congress are destroying future of Karnataka.

"Congress is affected with 6 diseases and makes those 6 diseases viral wherever it goes. They are- Congress culture, Communalism, Casteism, Crime, Corruption, and Contractor system. These six Cs are destroying the future of Karnataka," the Prime Minister said.

In his Chikmagalur rally, Prime Minister Modi did not spare late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who represented Chikmagalur in Lok Sabha.

"Congress only wants to remain in power. In 1978, Indira ji came here, took your votes but never cared for people of this region. Congress never thought about the welfare of people of Chikmagalur. Sonia ji too contested from Bellari, but what happened to promises made in Bellari," Prime Minister Modi said.

The day also saw heated political salvos being fired from both the BJP and the Congress over seizure of nearly 10,000 voter identity cards from a flat in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency.

A BJP delegation comprising of Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, JP Nadda, Dharmendra Pradhan, S.S. Ahluwalia, and BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi met the Election Commission of India officials in New Delhi and demanded to countermand of elections in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency over the recovery of voter identity cards.

The BJP says that the scam was the brainchild of the Congress, which points out that the flat owner is a BJP, a charge BJP denies.

The high-pitched campaigning for Karnataka polls will come to an end on Thursday evening.

The election in Karnataka will be held on May 12 in 223 constituencies, out of 224 of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The election for one constituency has been postponed following the death of B.N. Vijay Kumar, Jayanagar BJP candidate. The counting of votes and announcement of result will take place on May 15.