Buoyed by the Congress and JD(S) combine in Karnataka succeeding in bringing to a premature end to the BJP's efforts to form government in the southern state, Rahul Gandhi today hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, accusing them of disrespecting people's mandate and resorting to corrupt means in order to try and win the trust vote in the Assembly.
He also declared that a united Opposition will defeat Modi and the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a hurriedly called press conference at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, held soon after BJP's B.S. Yeddyurappa announced in the Vidhan Sabha that he was resigning as chief minister, the Congress president attempted to turn the tables on the BJP on the issue of who enjoyed the people's mandate.
He accused the BJP of disrespecting people's mandate, not only in Karnataka but also in Goa and Manipur. The BJP, which had emerged as the single largest party in the elections, falling short of majority by seven seats, has accused the Congress and the JD(S) of entering an unholy alliance and has claimed that it has actually won the mandate of the people.
The Congress chief said the developments in Karnataka have shown Modi and the BJP that power, money and corruption are not everything. “The prime minister, the BJP and murder accused Amit Shah should know that institutions are bigger than their money and power,” he said.
“You cannot disrespect institutions. You cannot disrespect the will of the people,” he said, and referred to the Congress' allegations that the BJP tried to buy its MLAs in order to win the vote of confidence. “The prime minister talks about fighting corruption. He is corruption himself,” he said.
“If the BJP had full majority, we would have let them form government. But the truth is that the BJP does not have the support of the people of the country. The total votes of the Congress and the JD(S) is more,” he said.
Rahul, who was attacked by the BJP, during the election campaign in Karnataka, for allegedly asking for the playing of the national song to be cut short at a rally, attacked the saffron party for allegedly disrespecting the national anthem in the Assembly today. He said that Yeddyurappa and other BJP members walked out of the Assembly even as the national anthem was playing.
Amid talks of opposition parties coming together to form a united front against Modi and the BJP and speculation about the role that the Congress will have in it, Rahul said the opposition parties will coordinate to defeat the BJP. “We are going to work with the opposition to defeat the BJP,” he said.