“It seems Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi do not realise the financial implication of their party’s guarantees. If they were to implement all the five guarantees, their cost would overshoot the entire Budget of Karnataka. The guarantees are therefore meaningless,” Amit Shah, Union Home Minister, said on Sunday.
He said that all the guarantees promised by the Congress in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have turned out to be false. “That is what will happen here,” he said at a campaign rally in Hungund in Bagalkot district. Unlike them, we have only one guarantee card and that is called Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.
He sought votes for Doddanagouda Patil and other candidates from Bagalkot district.
He asked the people to punish betrayers like Laxman Savadi and Jagadish Shettar by defeating them in the polls. “BJP has treated these two leaders - Mr. Shettar and Mr. Savadi with the utmost respect. But they have betrayed the party and joined the Congress. People should punish them by rejecting them on voting day,” Mr. Shah said.
He said that the Congress was continuing its old policy of minority appeasement even after humiliating defeats in various States. “Congress leaders knew very well that the Constitution does not allow reservation on the basis of religion. But they still provided a separate quota for Muslims just to appease them,” he said. Congress leaders are promising to restore the Muslim quota. I want to ask them if they will deprive other communities like Lingayats or Vokkaligas or OBCs to restore the quota for Muslims, he said.
Mr. Shah held a road show in Belagavi south on Sunday morning. A huge bike rally was organised by the BJP youth wing. Mr. Shah, Goa CM Pramod Sawant, and others campaigned for Abhay Patil, BJP nominee from Belagavi south.
On Saturday, he held rallies in Saundatti, Athani and Yamakanamaradi before holding a road show in Belagavi city.