PM blasts BJP, promises clean governance

BENGALURU: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said the BJP had set an example in bad governance in Karnataka, refuting Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s claim that it had achieved more than any Congress government.

Singh, who addressed a gathering of Congress workers on the outskirts of Bengaluru, promised a clean, effective and corruptionfree government in the state if the people voted the Congress to power in the May 5 election.

On Sunday Modi had said the Karnataka government had bagged two awards out of the seven given by the central government for developmental work.

Singh criticised the state government for supposedly not making good use of the central schemes. Around R5,700 crore was provided to the state government under 15 various schemes, but it was not utilised by the state government. It was during the rule of the Congress that the city and Karnataka found their place on the world map, he said.

He cited the examples of SM Krishna, Dharam Singh and Veerappa Moily, who, as chief minister, gave good governance to the state.

ADVANI TAKES POT SHOTS AT GOVT

BJP leader LK Advani in an election meeting expressed doubts about the calibre of the Congress and asked how the party, which has “failed” to control rapes in Delhi, could rule Karnataka.