Karnataka assembly election: Did PM Modi hit two birds with one stone with Rajasthan visit?

NEW DELHI: Even as Karnataka was voting to elect a new government on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Rajasthan, which goes to polls later this year, and lashed out heavily at the Congress. While sounding the election bugle in Rajasthan, the PM also seems to have sent a message across to the voters of Karnataka by way of his two speeches in the border state.


Referring to the Karnataka assembly election, he said the Congress wanted to use the ongoing internal strife in Sudan to its advantage in the poll-bound southern state. He also called the Congress’s ‘Garibi Hatao’ (eradicate poverty) slogan given in the early 1970s as “one of the biggest frauds” committed in the country.

Modi at Nathdwara

First, speaking at an official programme after the launch of multiple initiatives worth more than Rs 5,500 crore at Nathdwara in Rajasthan he hit out at the opposition party in the presence of chief minister Ashok Gehlot and state assembly speaker CP Joshi among others of the Congress party.

“The central government's schemes have given a new speed to the (country's) economy. But friends, some people have fallen victim to such a distorted ideology in our country, and they are filled with so much negativity that they do not want to see anything good happening in the nation. They like to only create controversies,” Modi said amidst loud cheers from the audience.

"You all would have heard some people sermonising whether priority should be given to "aata" (flour) or data and "sadak" (road) or satellite. But history is a witness that besides basic arrangements, creating modern infra is also essential for permanent and speedy development."

The prime minister further said, “Those who weigh everything at every step on the balance of votes, can never prepare a plan by keeping in mind the future of the country. We see on several occasions that a water tank installed in a village or roads and highways constructed at places become inadequate in four-five years. It is because of such thinking that priority was not accorded to infrastructure development in our country. The country has suffered immensely because of this. Had medical colleges been built earlier in adequate numbers, there would not have been scarcity of doctors in the country. Had electrification of railway lines been done earlier, thousands of crores would not have been spent on this work now.”

Continuing his attack on the Congress leaders, Modi said, “Those who are filled with negativity neither have vision nor they can think by rising above political selfishness. He said the negative-minded people would unite to defeat someone who is known for doing social service.”

He decried short-term thinking of creating small assets which fall short of the growing needs very quickly. This thinking led to neglect of the construction of infrastructure at great cost to the country, he said.

“Rajasthan has suffered a lot due to the lack of a futuristic vision for infrastructure in the country”, the Prime Minister remarked as he pointed out that the difficulties faced by the people were not limited to traveling from one place to another but also involved agriculture, businesses and industries.

Noting that the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna began in 2000 during the then prime minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee, Modi pointed out that approximately 3 lakh 80 thousand kilometers of rural roads were constructed till 2014, whereas the present government laid down approximately 3 lakh 50 thousand kilometers in the last nine years. Out of this, 70 thousand kilometers of rural roads were constructed in the villages of Rajasthan itself. “Now most of the villages in the country are connected by pucca roads,” he added.

After the Nathdwara event, Gehlot issued a statement in Hindi on Twitter to criticise Modi. He said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have refrained from criticising the previous governments by making political statements in my presence as the chief minister of the state at Nathdwara's official function today. Modiji asked why railway lines, electricity lines and medical colleges were not opened earlier? Probably Modiji forgot that the kind of well-groomed country he got, it was after 67 years of development after independence. This country was not built in a day... I would like to appeal to Mr Narendra Modi that as a prime minister, instead of insulting your predecessors in government programmes, you should thank them because they handed over such a country to Modiji, due to which he is able to represent the country in the world today."

Modi at Abu Road

Shortly thereafter, PM Modi addressed a political rally organised by the BJP at Abu Road. There, he named the Congress and criticised it heavily. Taking a swipe at the five guarantees by the Congress to the voters of Karnataka, Modi said the party had given a guarantee of eradicating poverty 50 years ago.

He was referring to the then prime minister Indira Gandhi’s ‘Garibi Hatao’ (eradicate poverty) slogan given in the early 1970s. Modi called ‘Garibi Hatao’ as “one of the greatest frauds” of the Congress.

PM Modi also came down heavily on the Congress over the unrest in Sudan. He said the Congress had planned to use the internal disturbance in the African country to its advantage in the Karnataka assembly election. He said even as the central government was engaged in safely evacuating the Hakki Pikki tribal community of India living in Sudan, the Congress exposed them by naming them and demanding their security.

“The Congress leaders wanted that even if one of the Hakki Pikki community members gets a gun shot, they would get an opportunity to raise it against the central government in the Karnataka assembly election. But they did not realise that Modi was at the helm of the government who can go to any extent to save the people of the country.”

Voting in Karnataka took place between 7 am and 6 pm. PM Modi addressed the two rallies in Rajasthan even as voting was in progress in Karnataka.

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