- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
Reacting to prime minister Narendra Modi’s recent charge that he was “abused 91 times”, Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday (1) said the former should understand that the upcoming elections in the southern state of Karnataka was not about him.
Asking the prime minister to speak about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s work and future programmes for Karnataka, instead of talking about himself, the former parliamentarian took a dig at Modi’s statement about verbal abuses hurled at him.
“You (Modi) come to campaign in Karnataka for elections but don’t speak about Karnataka. You speak about yourself. You have to say what you did in Karnataka for the past three years. You also have to speak in your speeches about what you will be doing in the next five years, what will do for youth, education, health and to fight corruption,” Gandhi, who was disqualified as a member of the Indian parliament in March following his conviction in a defamation case, said.
Addressing a public meeting in Tumakuru district of Karnataka, Gandhi said, “This election is not about you, it is about Karnataka’s people and its future. You say Congress abused you 91 times, but you never speak about what you did for Karnataka. In your next speech, you speak about what you did and what you will do in the next five years.”
Modi on Saturday (29) targeted the Congress at a rally in in the state over its national president Mallikarjun Kharge’s ‘venomous snake’ barb at him and said till now, the party and its leaders have hurled various types of abuses at him 91 times.
Claiming that when he comes to Karnataka and gives speeches, he speaks about his party leaders such as Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar and about their work, Gandhi said, “We take the names of all our leaders. You (Modi) come here and don’t even take the name of your chief minister (Basavaraj Bommai) and (B S) Yediyurappa (former CM). Your speeches are all about Narendra Modi.”
“Try taking the names of Bommai and Yediyurappa too one or two times, they will feel happy,” he said.
Stating that this election was about Karnataka’s people, youth and mothers and sisters, the 52-year-old Congress leader said, “This election is not about one person, not about Narendra Modi. Prime Minister has to understand this.”
Accusing the BJP of rampant corruption in Karnataka in the past three years and “taking 40 per cent commission in all kinds of work done by the government”, Gandhi said that instead of doing work of public good, “they looted from the pockets of the common man and poor”.
“It is not that the Prime Minister is not aware of this corruption and 40 per cent commission. He is aware of everything…so my question to PM is despite knowing about this loot for the last three years, did you take any action? You did not. Why? You should answer this to the people of Karnataka,” he said.
He also urged the Prime Minister to answer what he did to get Karnataka its right share of tax money, how he helped the state during floods, and how he tried to resolve the inter-state water dispute between Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.
Karnataka will go to polls on May 10 and the results will be declared three days later.
(With PTI inputs)
