Rahul Gandhi urges Narendra Modi to call meeting of CMs, solve Mahadayi dispute

HUBBALLI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi has demanded the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Karnataka’s Mahadayi river dispute with Goa. Addressing the Janaashirvada Yatre here on Monday, he said the PM should take the responsibility of calling a meeting of the Chief Ministers of the riparian states and find a solution to the problem.

Comparing the BJP-ruled state of Gujarat with Congress-ruled Karnataka, he said Karnataka is better in terms of implementing development works. “In Karnataka, education is free for girls up to post-graduation whereas in Gujarat one has to pay at least `15 lakh.“Healthcare is available at affordable price. But in Gujarat, the health sector has been privatised and one has to pay a hefty amount to get healthcare,” he said.

Karnataka government kept its promises made during the last Assembly elections, he said. “This government works on the principles of 12th centuary social reformer Basaveshwara, who taught us to find god in work. But the Modi government believes in making tall promises. The Karnataka government is active while the Modi government is talkative,” he said.Rahul utilised this occasion to explain his vision for the country. He said, he want to transform the country completely if provided an opportunity.

“The mobile brands which you have are manufactured in China. I want to change this. In the next one decade mobiles should be manufactured in India. The Congress will generate employment for youth, which Modi failed to do,” he added.

In his around half-an-hour speech, Rahul attacked the NDA government highlighting its failures from Rafale aircraft deal to Nirav Modi scam. “Modi calls himself a watchman of this country. Strangely, people like Jay Shah (son of BJP president Amit Shah) becomes a billionaire overnight and businessmen like Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya flee from the country taking huge loans”, he ridiculed.

‘CM worked hard to bring peace here’

Showering praises on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, he said, the CM worked hard to bring peace in the state and speed up the development works. He hailed the government’s flagship programmes like Anna Bhagya and Indira Canteen. Siddaramaiah also did not spare Modi in his speech, as he too asked Modi to intervene in the Mahadayi issue and find a solution outside of the Tribunal.