Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
With aim at Cong, Modi sounds K’taka poll bugle
BENGALURU: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) double-engine government prioritised development over vote banks and focused on amenities such as drinking water and road connectivity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Karnataka on Thursday as he launched his party’s poll campaign in the crucial southern state.
Modi was speaking in Yadgir district in northern Karnataka, where the BJP is in direct contest with the Congress. Karnataka, the only southern state ruled by the BJP, is scheduled to go to the polls this summer. This was his second visit to the state in seven days.
He laid the foundation stone for and inaugurated various developmental projects related to irrigation, drinking water and highway development, worth nearly ₹10,000 crore.
“Our government’s priority is not any vote bank, our priority is development. You all blessed me in 2014, and entrusted me with a huge responsibility,” Modi told the gathering.
“I know that as long as even a single district remains backward, the country cannot develop. Therefore, we have encouraged the aspiration of development in those districts declared backward by the previous government,” he added, referring to the Union government’s aspirational districts programme.
In January 2018, PM Modi launched the Transformation of Aspirational Districts initiative in 100 of the most backward districts in the country, which included two districts from Karnataka — Raichur (rank 12) and Yadgir (rank 40).
The districts were ranked from best to worst.
While Raichur scored 43.53% on various development indicators, Yadgir scored 37.1%.
Under the initiative, Niti Aayog monitors real-time progress made in 49 indicators from five areas — health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water resources, basic infrastructure, financial inclusion and skill development.
The PM laid the foundation stone of the ₹2,050 crore Yadgir multi-village drinking water supply scheme, which will provide potable water to about 230,000 households across 700 rural habitations and three towns.
He also inaugurated the ₹4,700 crore Narayanpur Left Bank Canal-Extension Renovation and Modernisation Project (NLBC-ERM) that aims to irrigate 450,000 hectares of land and benefit 300,000 farmers across 560 villages.
In Kalaburagi district, he distributed title deeds to 50,000 beneficiaries, and laid the foundation stone of a 71km stretch of the Surat-Chennai Expressway, being built at a cost of over ₹100 crore, that will reduce the distance from 1,600km to 1,270km.
The PM said his government was trying to reduce the challenges of north Karnataka, a relatively less developed part of the otherwise prosperous state, by boosting connectivity.
“Be it agriculture, industry or tourism, connectivity is equally important for all. Today, when the country is laying an emphasis on connectivity-related infrastructure, Karnataka is also getting more benefits due to a double-engine government. The Surat-Chennai Economic Corridor is also going to benefit a large part of north Karnataka. Due to the connectivity of the two big port cities of the country, new industries have opened up in this entire region,” he said. Double-engine is a term used by the BJP to refer to the party’s governments both at the state and national level.
Taking a dig at previous administrations, Modi said that they didn’t think of ways to improve the condition of districts such as Yadgir.
“We have the example of Yadgir in north Karnataka. The potential of this sector is second to none. Despite this capability, this region was left far behind in the journey of development. The previous governments washed their hands of any responsibility by declaring many districts backward. The previous governments did not take time to think about what is the reason behind the backwardness of this area, how to remove the backwardness of this area, let alone working hard,” he added.
The battleground region of Kalyana Karnataka holds 31 of the state’s 224 assembly seats and usually witnesses a direct contest between the BJP, which holds 12 seats, and the Congress, which holds 15.
The BJP won 104 seats in the 2018 assembly elections and emerged as the single-largest party but failed to form the government as the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular joined hands. But that government collapsed on July 23, 2019 after 17 lawmakers quit.
A new BJP government under former chief minister BS Yediyurappa was sworn in three days later, but after his departure in July 2021, the administration under chief minister BS
Bommai has faced a string of crises, internal dissent, and mounting demands from influential communities for reservation. The party is hoping to return to power on the back of its development policies and Lingayat support, but faces the Congress and the JD(S).
In his speech, Modi said the next 25 years would be the Amrit Kaal to build a developed India. “India can develop when every citizen of the country, every family, and every state joins this campaign. India can develop when, whether it is a farmer working in the fields or a labourer working in industries, everyone’s life is better. India can develop only when the crops in the fields are good and factories also expand,” he added.
The Opposition criticised the visit. Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Siddaramaiah said that Modi was taking advantage of schemes initiated by the previous Congress government. “We cooked, and they are eating. After we did everything, they are now projecting that they did everything,” he added.
Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar said Modi was coming to give “chocolate” as elections are nearing.
“He did not come when people were in trouble due to floods. It will be better if he speaks about his action plan for the employment of youth, why farmers’ incomes have not doubled, and why cooking gas prices have not been reduced,” he added.