People of Karnataka defeated money, power of BJP, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that the people of Karnataka defeated "hatred and money power of the BJP", while also ensuring the fulfilment of the five guarantees the party had made.

He made the remarks at the swearing in ceremony of the new Congress government in the state, with Siddaramaiah and D.K. Shivakumar taking oath as the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively, along with other Cabinet members.

Speaking at the event underway at the Kanteerava Stadium here, Rahul thanked the people of the state for helping the party to come to power.

"You fully supported the Congress. After Congress's victory, many things were written as to how it won this election, different analyses were done but I want to say that Congress won because we stood with the poor, Dalits, and Adivasis, backwards.

"We had the truth, poor people on our side. The BJP had money, power and everything but the people of Karnataka defeated all of it," the senior party leader said.

"And they (people) also defeated their (BJP) corruption. They also defeated their hatred. The way in which we said during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, we wiped the hatred and brought love. In the market of hatred, we have opened several shops of love."

"Nafrat ko mitaya, Mohabbat jeeti (we brought in love, wiped out hatred)."

Rahul Gandhi also ensured the people to fulfil the five guarantees announced by the party.

The Congress won 135 seats in the Assembly polls, while the BJP was reduced to 66 and the JD-S could only manage to win 19.

AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav, CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yachury, CPI General Secretary D. Raja, NCP veteran Sharad Pawar are among the prominent politicians are in attendance at the ceremony.

Tamil superstar Kamal Hassan, Kannada super star Shivaraj Kumar, popular actor Duniya Vijay, actress-turned-politician Ramya, actress Nishvika Naidu, senior actress turned politician Umashree and film director, producer V. Rajendra Singh Babu attended the event.

--IANS

aks/ksk/