Party whose heads are out on bail are questioning us: PM Modi launches savage attack on Congress

Firing a barrage of barbs at the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday labelled it as a "deal party" that was being uprooted from all over the country and said no one can save it now.

Taking BJP's campaign in poll-bound Karnataka to full throttle, he also accused Congress of "distorting history" as part of a conspiracy to divide society, as he addressed four back-to-back rallies at Chitradurga, Raichur, Jamkhandi and Hubbali in north Karnataka.

Hitting back at Congress for levelling "baseless" charges against BJP's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa, Modi reminded it about the National Herald case in which "the mother and son (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi) are facing allegations of a scam" and are on bail.

"The party whose heads are on bail, are they questioning us?" he said, adding that Yeddyurappa had faced courts.

At Chitradurga, Modi flayed the Congress government for celebrating "jayantis of sultans" (birth anniversaries of Muslim rulers) for the sake of "vote bank politics".

He was apparently referring to the state government's controversial decision of celebrating "Tipu Jayanti" every year on November 10, commemorating Tipu Sultan, the legendary 18th century ruler of Mysore.

Modi accused the Congress of protecting the corrupt, adopting a divide-and-rule policy, making false promises and having no agenda other than "abusing Modi."

Listing out a string of electoral defeats of the Congress, including those in Maharashtra and Tripura, he said, "From every corner of the country, the Congress has gone".

"...And in Karnataka?" he asked the crowd, which said the Congress will be ousted from power in the southern state too.

"Now they cannot survive. No one can save Congress now. For 70 years they have misled and befooled the people," Modi said, as he continued his campaign blitz across Karnataka where the party is heavily banking on him.

The state goes to the polls on May 12. The counting of votes will take place on May 15.

At the Chitradurga rally, Modi, while referring to corruption charges against a minister without naming him, said "The Congress is a party that neither has dil (heart) nor is it pro-Dalit. It is a deal party."

At Raichur, he said Congress' "new mantra is spreading lies”. Congress has realised its "vote bank politics is shaken" and so started a campaign for "misleading and spreading lies" among Dalits, and asked them to be aware, he said.

In Jamkhandi, Modi said it has been a year since Ram Nath Kovind, a poor mother's son brought up in a village, became President, but "Madam Sonia ji did not get time to pay a courtesy call on him."

The President might be a Dalit, but the office was an institution and the Congress, which ruled the country for 70 years, did not have that much of wisdom (to visit him).

"Today they are speaking about Dalits," he said.

Accusing Congress of attempting to divide Karnataka in the name of religion, language and sects as part of its conspiracy, Modi said "we should not allow Karnataka to get divided. We will not allow it to happen."

He was apparently referring to the government's move for a religious minority tag for Veerashaivas and Veerashaiva Lingayats, seen as an attempt to break BJP's traditional Lingayat vote base.

Bringing Siddaramaiah in the line of fire for contesting from two constituencies,Modi said "in the dark of night...From the back door he ran away (from Chamundeshwari constituency)" so that he could escape and "come here (Badami)."

"See him (Siddaramaiah) off from here itself (Badami)", Modi told the crowd.

He said the Karnataka elections were a contest between the Congress' "misdeeds and people's aspirations".

"On the one side is BJP with the mantra of 'sab ka saath sab ka vikaas (together with all development for all). On the other side is the Congress party that believes in doing everything for one family," he said.

While BJP was fighting against the corrupt system, the Congress protects the corrupt, Modi alleged.

BJP was progressing in politics with 'people's blessings' while Congress was dividing people, creating rift between brothers and following a divide-and-rule policy, Modi said.

In Chitradurga, attacking Congress over the "Tipu Jayanti" controversy,he said:"Look at the Congress' character... The birth anniversaries of those need to be celebrated from whom we draw inspiration from generations to generations. They cannot think about celebrating their jayantis".

He said, "Veera Madakari and Onake Obavva are forgotten, but for the sake of vote bank politics, they are into celebrating jayantis of sultans."

A Dalit woman, Onake Obavva, was the legendary wife of a soldier in the army of Madakari Nayaka, the last ruler of Chitrdurga. She is said to have fought single-handedly and killed with a pestle several invading soldiers of the army of Hyder Ali, the father of Tipu Sultan, in 1779.

She was killed by Hyder Ali's soldiers in her valiant effort to protect the fort where her husband was the guard of a watch tower.

BJP has strongly opposed celebration of "Tipu Jayanti". While some in society have hailed Tipu Sultan as a hero who died fighting the British,others called him a "fanatic" ruler.

"By celebrating this jayanti, the Congress has insulted people of Karnataka and Chitradurga. They have played with sentiments and feelings of people of Chitradurga," Modi said.

In Hubball, Modi said BJP had dreams for the country and Karnataka."We have dreams, commitment and ability to do it. We are working towards it day and night.

"Asking Congress "what is your dream?", Modi said "can Congress think beyond family? For them the world starts with family and ends with family."

"When will they think about country? Congress' world is in dynasty and corruption. Our aim is to bring this country out of it," Modi added.