Give BJP an absolute majority: PM Narendra Modi

DAVANAGERE: Making a strong pitch for the return of the BJP government in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that a stable government is vital for continuing with the pace of development in the state. Addressing a mega rally that marked the culmination of BJP's 8,000-km Vijaya Sankalapa Yatra ahead of the assembly polls, he urged voters to give his party a full majority and ensure the return of the double-engine government to power.
"Karnataka has seen a long period of opportunistic and selfish coalition governments. The state has faced losses due to such governments. If I must serve you and do something for you, I will need the BJP to have a strong and stable government with a full majority," Modi said, addressing a mega rally that marked the culmination of the party's 8,000-km Vijaya Sankalapa Yatra ahead of the assembly polls.
The PM's statement gains significance as some recent surveys have once again predicted a fractured verdict in the state.
Don't give Cong a chance to play their game in Karnataka: PM
Listing out various development projects that were launched by him recently in the state, the PM claimed the BJP had changed "politics of perception to politics of performance" in the country. "This is a double-engine government that works day and night. From providing free rations to free health care, it is taking care of, and working for, the poor," he said.
'Congress treating Karnataka as ATM'
"The world is looking towards India today and India is looking towards Karnataka," the PM said, highlighting Karnataka's leading position in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow to the country to buttress his point. Modi also urged the people of Karnataka to bring the state out of the "politics of manipulation" and end the trend of coalition governments.
Targeting the Congress, Modi said the BJP wanted to make the state a driving force of developed India, while the opposition party [read Congress] looked at it as "an ATM that fills the treasury of its leaders".
PM Modi alleged that Congress leaders had been "wandering with a bag of false guarantees" ahead of the elections, while pointing out that similar guarantees made by them ahead of the polls in Himachal Pradesh did not find any mention in their recent budget there.
"Can we trust a Congress that makes false promises? Should they be allowed to place a foot inside Karnataka, or should they be thrown out?" he asked, adding that the people of Karnataka should be cautious and not give Congress an opportunity "to play their game". Claiming that the Congress did not have any positive agenda for the country or for Karnataka, Modi alleged that the opposition party had been dreaming and even publicly saying, "Modi, your grave will be dug ...", but they don't know that the people of Karnataka are saying, "Modi, your lotus will bloom".
Pointing to the BJP's recent victories in the mayor and deputy mayor polls in Kalaburagi, which is the hometown of Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, the PM said it was a good sign that denoted the beginning of a "Vijay Yatra" (victory march) for his party.
"My programme here was pre-planned, so I have come, but coincidentally, the mayoral poll results have just been announced. Congress will link it with my visit and say that I have done something, and that's why they lost on their national president's turf," he said.
Taking a dig at Congress leader Siddaramaiah without naming him, he referred to a video of the former chief minister purportedly slapping a party worker, which went viral on social media, and said: "Those who cannot respect their own party workers, how can they respect the public?"
He said he was proud that in the BJP, all workers were equal and to him, every worker in Karnataka BJP was like a "close friend and brother".
At the end of his address, Modi even asked the crowd to switch on the torch lights on their mobile phones to symbolically send the "light of Vijaya Sankalpa" to every house and booth in the state.