Karnataka election: Modi, Sonia, Yogi, Siddaramaiah rallies today; updates

With Karnataka Assembly Election 2018 just days away, the BJP and the Congress' Karnataka campaigns have reached their last leg. Catch Karnataka polls 2018 latest updates

BS Web Team  |  New Delhi 

Narendra Modi
Karnataka Assembly election 2018: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold three rallies in the poll-bound state today. File photo 

The Karnataka Assembly election 2018 is just days away, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress' high-decibel and often acrimonious campaign continues. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be some of the star campaigners for their respective parties in the poll-bound southern state on Tuesday. Siddaramaiah on Monday sent legal notices to Modi and Shah, warning that he would file criminal and civil defamation cases against them over the volley of barbs aimed at him.

While Amit Shah has alleged that fearing defeat, the Congress has colluded with "anti-national" Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political wing of the Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), for the Karnataka assembly polls, Congress leader M Mallikarjuna Kharge has claimed that the May 12 election results will teach the BJP a lesson to mend its ways and send a message that people will not accept what the party is doing on the advice of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Further, on Monday, former prime minister Manmohan Singh launched a scathing attack on Modi. Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Singh said among other things that no prime minister had stooped so low as Modi. Singh also accused Modi of using language unbecoming of a prime minister and attempting to polarise poll-bound Karnataka.

Here are the top 10 developments around the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 campaign by the BJP and Congress:

1) Modi holding three rallies in Karnataka today: Narendra Modi on Tuesday is scheduled to address three rallies in Karnataka. His first engagement for the day will be a public meeting in Vijayapura at 1 pm. This will be followed by a public meeting in Koppal at 3 pm. His last engagement for today will be another public meeting in Bengaluru at 6.30 pm.

2) Amit Shah road shows in Karnataka today: Amit Shah on Tuesday will hold four roadshows in Karnataka, with the first one starting at 11 am and the last one at 5 pm.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is a star campaigner for the BJP for the Karnataka polls, is expected to address public meetings in Bhatkal, Byndoor, Mudabidre, Virajpet, and Sullia during the day.

Read our previous detailed copy on Karnataka Assembly election 2018 campaign: Karnataka polls: This will be my last election, says Siddaramaiah

Read our detailed copy on Karnataka Assembly election 2018 updates: Karnataka polls: Siddaramaiah says Cong to win with full majority; updates

rally in Mysuru today: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday will address a gathering in Mysuru, the city whose former ruler Tipu Sultan, has become a political agenda for both the BJP and the Congress.

6) Siddaramaiah slaps legal notices on Modi and Amit Shah: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday sent legal notices to Modi and Shah, warning them that he would file criminal and civil defamation cases against them. Taking his running battle against Modi to a new level, Siddaramaiah also sent a notice to the BJP's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa, whom the Congress has repeatedly accused of corruption.

The notice asked them to tender an unconditional apology or face a defamation suit for Rs 1 billion. Modi has repeatedly attacked Siddaramaiah over alleged corruption, calling his government "seedharupaiya sarkar" (government that takes bribe for every work) and "10 per cent commission government". During his campaign blitz, Modi has also alleged that while his government talked about ease of doing business, Siddaramaiah government was facilitating "ease of doing murders", referring to the killing of Hindu activists.

7) Congress' Kharge says Karnataka verdict will teach BJP a lesson: The Karnataka Assembly election results will teach a lesson to the BJP to mend its ways and send a larger message that people will not accept what the party is doing on the advice of the RSS, Congress' Mallikarjuna Kharge claimed. While the Congress' campaign theme revolves around development, it's also an "ideological fight" against the RSS-BJP, who Kharge alleged, are taking people for a ride. "They (RSS-BJP) are implementing their own agenda. Particularly the weaker sections, minorities and poorer sections, they feel insecure under the BJP and RSS-supported government," the Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha alleged.

The Karnataka Assembly poll is "very crucial" not only for the states' interest but also from the national perspective, he said. "If you don't prevent BJP here (in Karnataka), then definitely they will destroy the democracy; they are talking a lot of things about change of Constitution and also 'Hindutva' against the minorities. All these arguments (of the BJP), people don't accept," Kharge told news agencies.

8) Modi never in 'work mode', says Rahul: Rahul Gandhi on Monday took a dig at Prime Minister Modi by likening him to a mobile phone, saying that "Modiji uses only speaker and airplane mode and not work mode". Gandhi's retort came in response to a query from reporters about Modi's jibe at an election rally that the Congress would be reduced to "PPP (Punjab, Puducherry and Parivar) Congress" after the Karnataka polls. "There are three modes in a cell phone: the first is the work mode, the other two are speaker mode and airplane mode. Modiji only uses speaker and airplane mode, he never uses work mode," Gandhi said.

9) Congress colluding with anti-national forces, says Amit Shah: Amit Shah on Monday alleged that fearing defeat, the Congress was colluding with "anti-national" SDPI and PFI in the Karnataka polls. He said that the BJP and RSS had lost 24 workers in the past four years but the Siddaramaiah government "did not arrest the murderers". Shah said that once the BJP comes to power, it will send every culprit behind the bar even if they were hiding in the remotest corner of the world. "Fearing defeat, the Congress government is sitting with the anti-national forces. They aren't ashamed to take the support of PFI and SDPI. JD-S has taken the support of (AIMIM chief Asaduddin) Owaisi," said Shah at an election rally in Nargund.

10) BJP takes personal shot at Sonia Gandhi: The battle between the BJP and the Congress is becoming more personal. The BJP on Tuesday took a pot shot at Sonia Gandhi, referring to her with her birth name, Antonio Maino, which she gave up after marrying Rajiv Gandhi. The Karnataka unit of the BJP took to Twitter and said, "Today, Ms Antonio Maino is here in K'taka to save her last citadel from falling! Madam Maino, K'taka needs no lessons from the person who was solely responsible for wasting India's 10 precious years. And to Congress, need to remind you of your 'import' jibe?"


With agency inputs
First Published: Tue, May 08 2018. 13:13 IST