Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hit out at the Congress, saying the opposition party has always insulted leaders from Karnataka. Addressing a public rally in Belagavi, Modi said the Congress insulted its own president Mallikarjun Kharge at the party's recent meeting in Chhattisgarh.
“Insulting leaders from Karnataka is part of Congress's old culture. History stands witness to the insult meted out to the leaders such as S. Nijalingappa and Veerendra Patil (former Karnataka CMs). Everyone in Karnataka knows about it," he said.
Now, one more leader from Karnataka has been insulted by loyalists of the (Gandhi) family, the prime minister said, referring to the alleged disrespect shown to Kharge at the Congress plenary session held in Raipur.
"I have great respect for Mallikarjun Kharge, a son of this land, who has about 50 years of parliamentary or legislature experience. He has tried to do whatever he could in the service of people. But I was sad looking at how Kharge, who is the President of the party and a senior in age, was treated during the Congress' session in Chhattisgarh," the prime minister said.
"The weather was hot, everyone standing there feeling the heat was natural, but in that heat the good fortune of umbrella's shade was not there for Kharge who is Congress chief and senior in age. The umbrella's shade was for someone standing next to him. This shows Kharge is Congress President just for the sake of it, and looking at the way he is treated, everyone can understand as to whose hands the remote control is in," he alleged.
Modi urged people of Karnataka to be cautious against parties like the Congress and said the country needs to be freed from the clutches of dynastic politics.
Earlier in Shivamogga, the prime minister inaugurated the Shivamogga international airport and also launched multiple development projects worth more than Rs 3,600 crore. Shivamogga is the home district of former chief minister and BJP strongman B.S. Yediyurappa.
With PTI inputs