Modi flags BJP's good work, lists Congress 'misdeeds' (Roundup)

Mounting an attack on the Congress for its alleged misdeeds, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the BJP-led NDA government was building a new India for good education, jobs and healthcare.

"We are building a new India to give good education to our children, jobs for the youth, and healthcare for elders without discrimination, while the Congress cares neither for the present or the future of Karnataka," Modi said at a huge public rally in Hubballi, 410 km from here.

Addressing as many as four rallies for the second consecutive day in the state ahead of the May 12 Assembly elections, Modi said that what the Congress cared most about was to remain in power at any cost.

"Congress leaders are caught with huge cash and when our government takes action against them, they accuse me of being vindictive," Modi said at the Hubballi rally after campaigning at Bagalkot, Raichur and Tumakuru during a hot summer day.

Asserting that Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi owe an answer to the people as to why their party leaders were out on bail, Modi said one of the state Ministers was raided by tax officials in the past.

Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who was raided by tax sleuths in August last year for alleged tax evasion, was granted conditional bail on March 18 by a special court here.

"On the other hand, we are connecting far-off places with airways and expanding the civil aviation sector so that even the common man can fly to many destinations across the country," Modi said.

In the power sector, Modi claimed that the central government had given electricity to 18,000 villages in 1,000 days after they remained groping in the dark for 70 years since independence.

"As rural youths should benefit from long-distance education and farmers should get information digitally, we are giving impetus to Digital India drive to connect villages through the optical fibre network," the Prime Minister said.

Urging the people to remain vigilant and beware of the divisive politics of the state's ruling Congress, the Prime Minister said that the BJP would not accept such a division on the basis of caste, creed, community, religion or gender.

"People of Karnataka are aware of the Congress' thinking towards Basavanna. Its leaders are recalling the 12th century social reformer as elections are nearing. His statue was installed in Parliament during the leadership of BJP's then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee," Modi said.

Campaigning for the party's candidates from the state's northern part, about 470 km north of Bengaluru, the Prime Minister said the Congress owes an explanation to the country about why it disrupted Parliament.

"The Congress had an eco-system of looting which our government has come down heavily on. No wonder the Congress is angry with me and its leaders are abusing me," he noted.

Addressing hundreds of people in the backward district, Modi asked the ruling Congress government to give an account of its work done in the state.

"The Congress leaders keep abusing and criticising me. The Karnataka government must tell the state's people about its work in the last five years," the Prime Minister said.

Modi urged the people to oust the Congress and elect the BJP to ensure the state's development.

Slamming the Congress for ignoring the interests of Dalits, Modi said the grand old party had also insulted the architect of the Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar.

"The Congress has insulted Ambedkar. It never accepted him and never had any time for him," lamented Modi at the party rally in Chitradurga earlier in the day.

The party also disrespected its own senior leader and former Chief Minister of then Mysore state S. Nijalingappa for questioning then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's policies, Modi said.

"Nijalingappa, the proud son of this land, was insulted by the family (Congress) because he committed the big crime of questioning the policies of Nehru."

The Congress was doing "vote-bank politics" by celebrating the jayantis of Sultans instead of the leaders of the land who fought against them, Modi said, referring to Tipu Jayanti, which was celebrated as a state event.

"It is time for Karnataka to bid farewell to the Congress, which is unconcerned about people's welfare," he added.

--IANS

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