Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's description of Karnataka capital Bengaluru as a "garbage city" was insulting. And his party accused Modi of "insulting" Bengaluru and the people of Karnataka by calling it a "valley of sins" and demanded his apology for his "deplorable" remarks.
Rahul alleged that the Modi Government provided urban infrastructure funds of Rs 598 crore for the poll-bound State as compared to Rs 6,570 crore — 1,100 per cent more — assistance made available by the previous Congress-led UPA regime.
The data, Rahul added, was sourced from the Union Urban Development Ministry. "Dear PM, Calling Bengaluru, the garden city and the pride of India, a "garbage city" is insulting. Building lies comes naturally to you, but you seem to find building cities very difficult. The data nails your lies," the Gandhi scion said on Twitter.
In a full-scale attack on the Siddaramaiah Government, Modi had accused it of having turned Bengaluru into a "garbage city and valley of sin" from "Silicon Valley".
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said that as the Karnataka assembly election approaches, "the fears, frustration and follies of the BJP grow due to its impending defeat and this is reflected in the idioms and the language used by its leaders including the Prime Minister".
He also accused Modi of spreading "divisiveness" in the poll-bound state and alleged that such language was being used to divert the public attention from key issues such as the Cauvery water dispute, the dilution of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, joblessness and declining economy.
Singhvi said the prime minister failed to be the custodian of federal cooperation and maintain equilibrium between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in the Cauvery river water-sharing dispute. "You accuse Bengaluru, the Kannadiga of being a 'valley of sin'. I think it is shameful and I think the country needs an apology which I am sure we will never get from the Prime Minister," he said at AICC brifeing.