Congress, JDS used government in Karnataka as their ATMs: Union Home Minister Amit Shah

BENGALURU:  Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Congress party and the JDS, accusing both of being corrupt. Addressing a public rally after inaugurating the fourth leg of the BJP’s ‘Vijaya Sankalpa Yatra’ in Devanahalli on the outskirts of Bengaluru, Shah said alleged that the Congress and the JDS use the governments that they form like ATMs. He also said that the two parties practice dynastic politics. 

Listing out the contributions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-BJP government at the Centre to the state of Karnataka, he said, besides building a new airport in Shivamogga, many development works worth Rs 24,000 crore were taken up. The budgetary allocation for Karnataka has been Rs 37,257 crore which created history as no other government at the Centre had given so much in the past to the state. 

“I will ask the leader of opposition Siddaramaiah whether the Congress-led UPA government had given sufficient funds to the state. The tax devolution given by UPA was Rs 13,000 crore, whereas we have given Rs 33,000 crore. Overall, the Modi government has sanctioned Rs 83,000 crore to the state, including Rs 9,000 as grant in aid and Rs 7,800 crore from the Finance Commission”, he said.

“Do you want to elect the corrupt JD(S) and Congress or the BJP that has brought in a change. We have contributed a lot to the state, including Bengaluru, as we know how significant the IT capital is and will continue to be”, he said. 

“During the UPA regime, it was a routine that terrorists from Pakistan entered our country and beheaded our soldiers. But under Modi’s government, the Indian Army avenged the killings”, Shah said.

He also asked whether the people of Karnataka would like to choose parties that allegedly sympathise with terrorists or the BJP that banned an outfit like the Popular Front of India (PFI).

BSY TO LEAD BJP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE?
Bengaluru: Former CM BS Yediyurappa is likely to be made head of the BJP campaign committee for Karnataka. The former CM announced his decision to retire from electoral politics recently. In Karnataka, BJP is largely depending on the Lingayat voters who constitute close to 20% of the state’s population and Yediyurappa is the tallest Lingayat leader in the party.  

Speaking to TNIE, a senior BJP leader said that the party high command’s attempt to replace Yediyurappa with Basavaraj Bommai, also a Lingayat, did not work in favour of the party. There was also a proposal to make Union Minister Pralhad Joshi the head of the campaign committee... but caste factor will not work. For BJP, Yediyurappa is needed. Bommai as CM was unable to reach out to the community in the last one-and-a-half months. Yediyurappa is still the tallest and mass leader in Karnataka for BJP,” the leader added.