Gujarat chief minister does what he does best: tears into Congress, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
The blue sky slowly turned grey towards the evening, with the blazing sun screened off by dark clouds. It remained like that for a while, before it produced a unsatisfying drizzle.
Lightning and thunder were missing. But on Sunday neither nature’s thunder nor lightning were needed, as Narendra Modi, nothing short of a human thunderbolt, himself was in Bangalore.
The Gujarat chief minister, in the city to boost the BJP’s dwindling fortunes, was all fire-and-brimstone, heaping insults and taking apart his pet targets: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son and vice-president, Rahul Gandhi.
The 15,000-odd audience at the Basavanagudi National College grounds, which has a capacity of 30,000, who chose to stay despite the minor drizzle, got to savour some of Modi’s trademark verbal fireworks.
Modi ripped into the Congress party, preserving his best for Rahul. “The leader born with a silver spoon, who cannot even pronounce the name of CM Jagadish Shettar, dares to insult the state,” thundered Modi, eliciting a round of applause. “Does he know that PM Manmohan Singh took note of CM Shettar’s speech on rural development and horticulture at the CM’s meet?”
“Mother (Sonia Gandhi) says politics is poison, but son (Rahul Gandhi) is roaming in Karnataka urging the people to vote Congress to power. Do they think people don’t understand this drama?” asked Modi.
Then it was former external affairs minister SM Krishna to be in the line of fire. Modi said Karnataka was insulted when Krishna read out another country’s speech at the UN. “The man hails from the land where Chanakya was born. This is the real insult and Congress leaders speak of BJP leaders insulting the state.”
Attacking Congress for going back on its promise of not giving tickets to criminals, family members and those who have lost elections, Modi said the Congress hadn’t kept any of its promises. “They forgot on their way to New Delhi from Bangalore,” he said. Modi unequivocally said that BJP-ruled states had put up a better show than Congress-ruled states.
Sonia Gandhi wasn’t spared either. Modi said when it comes to development, “Italian lock will silence Congressmen’s mouths”. They (Congress leaders) talk about corruption. If one starts writing the zeros in the 2G spectrum scam, it alone can be written from Race Course Road (PM’s residence) to 10 Janpath (Sonia’s residence),” said Modi.
But Modi had words of praise for Karnataka, as he called the people of the state highly ambitious and Bangalore a mini India, where people from all over the country reside.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}