As curtains fall on campaigning in the Karnataka Assembly elections, AICC chief Rahul Gandhi demanded to know why Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who speaks of fighting corruption, had given tickets to tainted candidates such as B.S.Yeddyurappa and the Reddy brothers, who are mining barons.
“Here you have a honest chief minister, Siddaramaiah, and on the other hand, you have Mr Yeddyurappa, BJP's chief ministerial candidate, who has spent time in jail for corruption for stealing from people and the Reddy brothers, who have stolen as much money from Karnataka as much as UPA has given the people under NREGA—Rs 35,000 crore. PM does not explain why he has given tickets to Reddy brothers?” charged Rahul, on Thursday during a media interaction on the last day of the election campaign in Karnataka.
Earlier, Rahul claimed that his party has focused on real issues and the good work of his government in the state all throughout the campaign, but the BJP has indulged in personal attacks. “The Congress leaders are united and we have had a good campaign and have shared our vision in the manifesto. But the BJP is busy making personal attacks.”
Rahul also noted that the deluge of Union ministers on the last day of campaign was a telling sign that the BJP was in panic.
“The Congress has shaken them. We don't need pariahs (outsiders) to fight for us as our local leaders will do it. We will win the Karnataka elections,” asserted Rahul, while warning people of Karnataka against RSS “control.”
“RSS is trying to take away Karnataka. They (BJP-RSS) are attacking Basavanna, your language, wonderful food and are deciding about your life. But we stand by you, to support your idea and the spirit of Basavanna,” he added.
Hitting back at Modi for making personal attacks on him and his “origin,” Rahul said, “Modi feels threatened by me. He has so much anger inside him for me and for that matter against everybody.”
Referring to the Rafale deal, Rahul alleged that Modi had bypassed HAL to “benefit” his businessman friend. Rahul sarcastically lauded the Rafale deal as an “absolutely smashing good deal.”
“It was indeed a better deal as the cost of one fighter plane has escalated from Rs 700 crore to Rs 1,500 crore a unit. So, it is a great deal for PM and his businessman friend, who is Rs 45,000 crore in debt and has never built an aeroplane. HAL has lost out on the deal and Bengaluru has lost out on technical jobs,” Rahul noted.
The AICC chief evaded a question on the Congress' stand on Mahadayi issue, especially after the BJP attack on his party over Sonia Gandhi's election speech in 2005 (in Panjim), where she has reportedly spoken in favour of Goa, saying her party would “not allow even a single drop of water to be released to Karnataka.”
“PM should resolve this matter,” is all Rahul had to say.
Rahul clarified that his party was not politicising atrocities against women and rapes, but felt that such atrocities were a national issue.
“It is a political issue and the treatment of our women is a fundamental issue and we will speak about it. Mr Modi likes to discuss seaplanes and bullet trains but not fundamental issues like farmers issues. The Congress government has given Rs 8,000 crore to farmers. How much money has PM given the farmers? He has given Rs 250,000 crore to the rich in the country and nothing to the farmers. It is something to be ashamed of,” Rahul argued.