After launching a whirlwind campaign in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday. "I challenge you to speak for 15 minutes on the achievements of your government in Karnataka without reading from any piece of paper. You can speak in Hindi, English or your mata ki matra-bhasha (mother's mother tongue)," Modi said at a public rally in Chamarajanagar.
The PM said that the Siddaramiah government in Karnataka was "creating the ease of committing murders, while his government was trying to improve India's standing in the world for the ease of doing business". "The story in Karnataka is something else. The government here seems intent on taking it backwards," said Modi at a packed rally in Udupi, during his second, in a five-day, 15-rally blitzkrieg to wrest Karnataka from the Congress.
Modi alleged that the over two dozen BJP workers had been killed for speaking against the current government. I want to ask the Congress why it is killing innocents," he said. He warned of how criminalisation of politics was reaching dangerous levels in the state. "This is a disease we have to get rid of. The only way to do that is to vote BJP," he said.
His olive branch to the JD(S) left the audience baffled. "Whenever our ex-PM HD Deve Gowda Ji comes to Delhi and has asked to see me, I have always found time for him. In fact in keeping with his seniority, age and experience I always open his car door to welcome him and drop him back at the car. And though he has voted against us and has often lashed out at the BJP, he knows and understands the mutual respect we have," said Modi.
The PM raised the issue of decency in public discourse while slamming Gandhi.
"During his campaign Rahul Gandhi has ridiculed Deve Gowda Ji. He should remember he has not even taken the first few steps in his political career and such disrespect will not take him too far in public life," Modi said.
Reminding the audience how Mahatma Gandhi wanted the Congress party to be disbanded he said, "This was one of Bapu's final wishes and several states have contributed in making it come true. Now destiny has given Karnataka the chance to hit the final blow and wipe it out. You will be blessed by Gandhiji from above," he said.
Bringing up Udupi's fame as the land of banking he said the Congress had nationalised banks but created an atmosphere which kept the poor out. He extolled the Jan Dhan Yojana implemented by his government.
Figure of Speech
The PM began and ended his speech by greeting the audience in Kannada, although the organisers had arranged for a translator. When Modi actually broke his speech for the translator people heckled and booed saying they did not want to hear the Kannada translation.
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