Voting for the Congress party is nothing but voting for the Popular Front of India (PFI), according BJP national president J.P. Nadda.
Addressing an election rally on April 28 at Sorab in Shivamogga district for the Karnataka Assembly elections, “If you vote for the JD(S), it is like voting for the Congress. If you vote for the Congress, it is nothing but voting for the PFI. These are all political parties that support anti-social elements that cause violence in society. People should keep this in mind while voting.”
Get the top news developments from Karnataka right in your inbox. Subscribe to our Karnataka Today newsletter here
During the SIddaramaiah-led Congress government, he claimed that cases filed against the PFI were withdrawn and those arrested were released. As a result, violence spread in Karnataka. “Do you expect such people to come to power? Don’t you want peace in society? Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi banned PFI, and put people involved in criminal activities behind bars. If you want them to remain behind bars, you should vote for the BJP,” he said.
Reacting to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Nadda alleged that Mr Kharge made the remark on the directions of Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. “I wonder how much poison is in his mind. He is making such a statement to please the leaders in the party. However, whenever such comments are made against Mr Modi, people have stood by Mr Modi and supported him,” he said.
Sorab MLA Kumar Bangarappa and Shivamogga Lok Sabha member B.Y. Raghavendra were among those who attended the election meeting.
BJP president J.P. Nadda explains to people at Kalasa how double-engine government works
Earlier in the day, addressing an election meeting at Kalasa in Chikkamagaluru district, Mr. Nadda said that there were a series of scams during the tenure of the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government. He alleged corruption in construction of the Malaprabha canal, recruitment of police, recruitment of teachers, a huge scam of ₹8,000 crore in development of Arkavathi Layout in Bengaluru.
“Show me one scam during the BJP rule in Karnataka. KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar is out on bail. There is a money-laundering case against him. Congress leaders have no moral right to speak about corruption. People should vote for the BJP to ensure a corruption-free government,” he said.
Defending Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement about riots in Karnataka if the Congress came to power, Mr. Nadda said, “During Congress rule, there were 80 communal riots in the State. Mr Siddaramaiah had withdrawn 175 cases registered against activists of PFI, and those arrested by the previous BJP government were released. Then Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy had opposed a ban on PFI. Later, PFI activists were involved in the murder of Hindu activists Praveen Nettaru and Harsha,” he said.
Mr. Nadda said a double-engine government would implement schemes introduced by the Centre effectively. “When Mr Modi launched schemes, (former CM) B.S. Yediyurappa and (Chief Minister Basavaraj) Bommai implemented them. That is how double engine government functions. However, during the Congress-JD(S) rule, this did not happen. When the Centre sought the list of beneficiaries for Kissan Samman scheme, the State Government furnished names of only 17 farmers. However, now 54 lakh people in the State have benefited by the scheme. This is the benefit of double-engine government,” he said.
Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shobha Karandlaje, legislators D.S. Arun, M.K. Pranesh, and BJP candidate for Mudigere Deepak Doddaiah were among those who attended the election meeting.
