Modi accuses Congress of suppressing freedom of expression

The BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Sunday said the UPA government does not believe in democracy and freedom of expression and is trying to muzzle the social media network.

Addressing a rally here, Modi said the government was planning restrictions on social media.

He pointed out the union information and broadcasting ministry had taken exception to TV channels for comparing the prime minister's Independence Day speech with his speech on the same day in Gujarat.

The ministry's "advisory" that the prime minister's Independence Day speech should not be compared with other speeches was more a "threat" to the media, Modi said.

This is the first rally of the Gujarat chief minister in Karnataka after his nomination as the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate.

Modi said under the United Progressive Alliance-rule, "factories have been shut, jobs are not being created, there is no power generation".

On the declining value of the Indian rupee against foreign currencies, he said, "there is a race between the Congress and the rupee on which one will go down faster".

Modi said one of the reasons for the growing current account deficit (CAD) was that India's software exports have come down drastically during the UPA-rule, while comparing it with the BJP-led Nantional Democratic Aalliance headed by Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Modi also charged the UPA with neglecting IT, science, technology sectors while promoting "meat exports because of which India's cattle are being slaughtered".

He began the speech by greeting people of Karnataka in Kannada and congratulating C.N.R Rao and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on being awarded Bharat Ratna.

Earlier, BJP president Rajnath Singh also said "unemployment and income disparity was growing" under the UPA rule.

He said the BJP stands for "uniting people" and "instilling confidence in minorities", while the Congress instills "sense of fear" in them.

State BJP president Pralhad Joshi presented a cheque for Rs.35 lakh to Modi for the construction of Sardar Patel statue planned in Gujarat.

The amount was collected from 350,000 party workers who paid Rs.10 each to attend the rally, Joshi said.