Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Congress, accusing it of “betraying” people and failing to provide governance in Karnataka due to persistent internal power struggles.
Addressing a large gathering of BJP workers in Bengaluru, Modi said the Congress government in Karnataka had spent more time dealing with leadership disputes than addressing public concerns.
“For the past three years in Karnataka, instead of resolving people's problems, most of the government's time here has been spent resolving internal conflicts. The Congress government remained gripped by uncertainty over leadership and power-sharing arrangements,” the Prime Minister said.
Modi was referring to the continuing tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over leadership issues.
“They cannot decide how long the chief minister will remain. They cannot decide whether another person will get a chance or not. Everything has been kept hanging,” he said.
Stepping up his attack, Modi alleged that Congress governments quickly face anti-incumbency because the party lacks a governance agenda.
“This is because Congress only knows how to betray people. They are false themselves, and their guarantees are also false. There is no chapter on governance in Congress' book of power,” he said.
Modi said recent electoral victories across states reflected growing public confidence in the alliance’s governance model.
Referring to the NDA retaining power in Puducherry, returning to office in Assam, the BJP’s gains in West Bengal, and the party’s strong performance in Gujarat local body elections, Modi said the results signalled a changing political mood in the country.
“These election results are important for the direction of Indian politics. They reflect the mood of India's youth, women, farmers, poor and middle class,” he said.
“India's people are saying that they want speed, not scams; they want solutions. They want politics based on national policy,” Modi added.
Highlighting Karnataka’s role in the BJP’s growth, Modi said the state had supported the party even during its formative years.
“I can see that a saffron sun has risen today from the land of Bengaluru. Even when the BJP was not such a large party, Karnataka gave it tremendous strength,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)