Addressing BJP workers virtually in poll-bound Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hit out at the Congress saying the Opposition party’s various guarantees to voters do not mean much when that party’s “warranty has expired” and asked the BJP to strengthen booth-level campaigning for the May 10 Assembly polls.
Ahead of his whirlwind election campaign starting on Saturday with 20-odd public rallies across Karnataka, Modi made a strong pitch for ending the “revdi culture” (culture of distributing freebies) referring to the poll promises made by the Congress, the main challenger to the BJP in the coming elections .
The PM’s address to BJP workers was part of the party’s effort to boost its campaign for Assembly polls. The contest seems to be evenly-poised between the BJP and the Congress with the JD(S) being the third party in the triangular contest for the 224 Assembly seats in Karnataka.
For the Karnataka polls, the Congress has announced “guarantees” that include — 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), `2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), and `3,000 every month for graduate youth and `1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi) — on coming to power in the State.
The Prime Minister said States are drowning in debt because of freebies and emphasised that the country and Governments cannot be run like this.
“In our country some political parties have made politics the means of power and corruption. To achieve this, they are using all means like ‘saam, dham, dhand, bedh’. These political parties don’t think about the future of the country, the future generation of Karnataka, its youth and women,” Modi said.
He said, because of freebie politics, several States are making large-scale spending for the sake of partisan politics, which is also eating into the “share” of future generations.
“The country cannot be run like this. Governments cannot be run like this. Governments have to think about the future, along with the present. Governments cannot run just for day-to-day needs, they have to work on asset creation, so that the lives of families are on track for decades,” he added during the “Karyakartarondige Samvada” (an interaction with workers).
The party said earlier this week about 50 lakh workers from 58,112 booths would attend this “virtual rally” of the Prime Minister.
Modi would undertake a two-day tour of the State from Saturday during which he is scheduled to address six public meetings and hold two road-shows.
Modi said the BJP was not taking shortcuts, but was working for a developed India.
“BJP doesn’t think about five years of its own rule, but thinks about the country. We don’t think about the party but think about the country. We don’t think just about present electoral politics but about taking India ahead in the next 25 years”, he said.
To address some temporary challenges, all possible help is being provided for the poor, like free ration, free vaccination, he said and added that it is the duty of the Government, “but if we have to make India progress, we have to get rid of this revdi culture.”
“I appeal to youth, some parties may try to make you fools by distributing freebies, but it’s your duty to think about your future and that of your future generations....”
Targetting the Congress for its “revdi culture” in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, Modi said, their poll guarantees have still remained as guarantee. “Congress means guarantee of corruption, guarantee of nepotism.”
“Congress has reached a stage where it cannot give true guarantees, you are aware that Congress’s warranty has expired, then what is the meaning of its guarantees,” he added.
Besides the Prime Minister, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda, Nirmala Sitharaman, UP Chief Minister Adityanath, former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa and a host of senior Karnataka leaders are in the thick of electioneering as former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Vadra and Congress president Kharge have been addressing public rallies in support of the party candidates.
For the JD (Secular), former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda would be campaigning at 42 places in the next 11 days in the run-up to the Assembly elections in Karnataka. The 89-year-old Gowda said he will take rest once in a week keeping in view his health condition.
