Congress government in K’taka is at the exit gate, says Modi

‘Taking law in hands in name of religion, caste is wrong’ M VENKAIAH NAIDU

BENGALURU: In a stinging attack on the Siddaramaiah government on all fronts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused it of setting new records in corruption and asserted that the countdown for its exit has begun.

“The Congress government is at the exit gate,” Modi told a huge public rally here, as he took on the Siddaramaiah rule dubbing it a “10 percent commission government.”

Chiding the government on the law and order front, he said, “instead of the rule of law, the criminals are ruling the roost.”

The rally at the sprawling Palace Ground marked the culmination of the state BJP’S 85-day “Parivarthana Yatra” that crisscrossed all 224 assembly constituencies and virtually sounded the bugle for the coming Assembly polls in the state, due early this year.

The BJP has set a 150-plus seat mission.

Asserting that there was a “saffron wave” in the state, Modi said the people of Karnataka had decided to make the state Congress free and to get rid of Congress culture.

“Congress government is a 10 percent government, where no work happens without paying a commission of 10 percent. It is a matter of shame if this becomes the identity of a government,” he said.

Charging the state with setting new records in corruption, Modi said: “Congress-free government means freedom from dynastic rule, nepotism, corruption and loot.”

He also referred to the IT raids at the residences of two state ministers and that a raid on a senior Congress leader revealed Benami property and said, “there is ‘steel mafia’, sand mafia and transfer mafia’ in the state.”

The Prime Minister said some people hatched a conspiracy to pocket crores of Rupees in the name of building a steel bridge.

“Due to public outrage and BJP’S protest, the project was dropped,” Modi said. He was referring to a steel bridge project in the city at a major traffic junction, which was scrapped after public protest.

Referring to a spate of killings of activists of BJP and the Sangh Parivar, he said a number of workers associated with BJP and its affiliated organisations have been killed.

“It is an assault on the social fab- ric. I appeal to the people of Karnataka to vote against the government which attacks the social fabric of the state.

“I am seeing that Karnataka has decided to free the state from Congress. To free from Congress’ culture, from society, from public life, from politics.”

The Congress had “ruined” the society, culture and politics, he said, adding, “I can see that the BJP government in Karnataka is not far away.”

While referring to the law and order situation, Modi said, on the one hand, the BJP at the Centre was trying to take India forward, while on the other, in Karnataka “there is such a government that there is a reverse flow.”

He said criminals are ruling the roost in Bengaluru. “In Bengaluru also criminal elements have caused worry to the common man. You might have felt this.”

Modi said “in the whole world there is a discussion about ease of doing business and there are efforts in that direction. Our government is making efforts for the ease of doing business and talking about ease of living.”

“But with the Congress government in Karnataka, where there are discussions regarding ease of doing murders.”

He said the BJP government would take the state in the direction of progress with the motto “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas”.

The “Parivarthana Yatra” was launched by BJP President Amit Shah on November 2 last year.