Congress spreading lies by hiring foreign agencies: Modi

Ruling out the possibility of a hung Assembly in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing it of spreading lies by hiring "foreign agencies" and dividing societies over religion and caste.

In a 40-minute interactive session with BJP candidates, state office bearers and leaders of Karnataka via his mobile app, he said the problems in Indian politics were due to the "sins" of the Congress. Unless the Congress culture was ended, the problems will not be solved.

"If you analyse the last few elections, you will realise how a few political parties have indulged only in dividing societies. They (Congress) play politics on religion, caste and creed and have nothing to do with the politics of development," he said adding that the BJP believed in the mantras of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' and 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas'.

In an apparent attack on the Congress for declaring lingayats a religious minority, Modi said that this was the working culture of the Congress in which they exploit emotions of a community before elections and forget it later.

"They will never give an account of their work. They give lollipops to a certain community before elections and then forget them. When the new elections come they change their group of voters. 

"Can anyone deny that the mainstream politics of India is linked to the sins of the CongressIJ No on can deny this. This problem exists in other political parties too due to the political culture of the Congress. Political purity cannot be established till the Congress culture is finished from the mainstream," he added in his video address from Delhi.

Hitting out at the Congress for spreading "rampant" lies, Modi asked the party workers not to fall for the opposition's falsehoods.

"The Congress has resorted to rampant lying after a series of defeats in elections. Earlier, the Congress used to spread lies over five to 10 issues they raised. Now out of 50 issues, 40-45 are based on lies," the Prime Minister said.

Modi told the activists to expose their lies and also fight the Congress way of deceiving people by "hiring foreign agencies".

The Prime Minister said that other political parties hesitate to talk on development and were only creating divisions. 

Modi said the BJP-led NDA government was ahead of the Congress-led UPA on all parameters.

He alleged that the "buzz" about a hung Assembly was a propaganda of the "well-wishers" of the Congress to disappoint people who want a change.

"As the people of Karnataka have decided to bring about a change in the state, a lie is being spread by some people ... that there will be a hung Assembly this time.

"Such lies were being spread even during the 2014 lok Sabha polls. Till the results were out, they did this. This was nothing but a conspiracy to disillusion the people who wanted change.

"We got the full majority government at the Centre after 30 years and we have been able to end policy paralysis by taking decisions and give a good name of the country."

He said had the Siddaramaiah-led government not indulged in petty politics, the state could have achieved even better development figures.

He urged BJP leaders to harp on development issues.

"We must fight the upcoming elections on the issues of development and win people's trust," Modi said. 

The party's agenda for Karnataka was development -- "fast-paced" and "all-round", he stressed.

Responding to a question from Udupi district, by outgoing MlA and candidate V. Sunil Kumar, Modi said the party must ensure that as many women cadres were employed as men.

"let each party worker visit a few families in each constituency and listen to their problems and being with them till they vote. There's no way we cannot win the election with this approach."

Modi is likely to visit the state from May 1 to hold over a dozen rallies.

He is expected to visit each of the state's four regions -- coastal, north, central and south -- besides Bengaluru and Mysuru, addressing at least two to three rallies a day till May 10.

Polling will be held on May 12 for all the 224 Assembly seats. The votes will be counted on May 15.