BJP’s election manifesto has a hidden agenda of withdrawing reservation and creating violence by introducing a Common Civil Code and promises to build a Ram Mandir, alleged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
He was addressing the Congress campaign rally at Malpe beach on Sunday evening. “Their agenda spoils peace in the country and needs to be curbed at the bud. To achieve that people should keep them away from power in this election,” he said.
Recalling the Godhra massacre, Siddaramaiah said the then prime minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee himself wanted Narendra Modi to quit the CM’s post and warned him to follow ‘Raj Dharma.’ This shows Modi is unfit to be a prime minister, he said.
“In Karnataka, the BJP rule had seen a chief minister and some ministers go to jail, ministers were watching porn videos in their mobile phones, their leaders had organised a rave party and some BJP leaders had attempted to rape women. Is this what they promised to the people?” he asked.
Union Road Transport Minister Oscar Fernandes said the Congress government in the state kept the promises made in the election manifesto by fulfilling 99 of the 160 assurances. People are contended with the performance of the Congress government and they will give a thumping majority to the party, he said.
Congress candidate K Jayaprakash Hegde took his opponent Shobha Karandlaje (BJP) to task for making ‘irresponsible statements’ that fishermen of Malpe did not upgrade to modern technology and traditional fishing was not advisable.
“In fact Malpe fishermen have all the latest technology in deep sea fishing. Traditional fishing cannot be ignored as it is a source of livelihood for lakhs of fishermen,” he said. Udupi District Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake, District Congress President Gopal Poojary and others participated in the rally.
Prior to the public rally, Karavali Congress Committee had organised a bike rally involving thousands of motorbikes passing through Udupi and Manipal and concluding in Malpe.
Sharp Replies to Comments
Reacting to Narendra Modi’s statement in Chikmagalur that he will achieve 10 times as much as what Indira Gandhi did, Siddaramaiah asked why Modi failed to achieve development in Gujarat.
When asked to react to a statement by former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda that he would quit politics if Modi becomes the prime minister, the CM said neither will Gowda quit politics nor will Modi become PM.
He said irrespective of any pre-poll survey, the Congress would win more than 20 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Siddaramaiah said the Congress is committed to introduce reservation in the private sector and challenged the BJP to announce the same.