Narendra Modi accuses Congress of failing to deliver on promises
Modi said the only way to end corruption, unemployment and price rise was to vote out Congress
New Delhi: An alternative political alliance is essential for development and meeting the aspirations of young Indians because 10 years of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule has dented job creation and led to corruption and bad governance, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said on Friday.
The Gujarat chief minister told a public meeting in Gulbarga, Karnataka, that the only way to end corruption, unemployment and inflation, and safeguard women’s security was to vote out the Congress, which leads the UPA.
“Corruption, lack of development, dynastic politics and divisive policies were the second name for Congress. Sonia Gandhi was recently in Karnataka; did she even mention price rise and corruption? Congress has been in power, should the government not talk about its achievements in the last 10 years during the election?" said Modi.
Modi is making a special effort to woo voters in Karnataka, and addressed public meetings in Gulbarga and Hubli during his daylong visit to the state. He has made more than six visits to Karnataka in the last six months.
Karnataka accounts for 28 Lok Sabha LS) seats and is the only Southern state where the BJP has had a government. However, the party lost the assembly election in 2013 following corruption charges against the BJP government and the resignation of chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.
Modi predicted people won’t vote on the basis of caste, creed or religion in the general election due in April-May.
“People want change this time. In most of the cases, election results are made after completion of the counting process. This is the first time that people have given their mandate even before the election dates are announced. People who calculate performance of political parties and election results on the basis of arithmetic and mathematics, they are all going to fail this time," Modi said in Hubli.
Modi also accused the Congress of failing to deliver on its poll promises.
“Congress had said that it would end price rise in 100 days, did it happen? Congress had made several promises in its manifesto during 2004 elections, people should questions why those promises were not fulfilled," Modi said.
He said that while senior Congress leaders were talking about empowering women and providing security to them, they should explain why crimes against women were not coming down in Delhi. “The central and state governments are in Delhi, yet most cases of crime against women happen in Delhi," added Modi.
The BJP leader said that he will also visit Seemandhra, as the combined region of Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh is called.
Political experts following Modi’s frequent visits to Karnataka believe that development and combating corruption will remain the main platforms in the coming LS poll but that voters may still vote on the basis of caste and region.
“We must remember that Narendra Modi had held public meetings during assembly elections in Karnataka—they didn’t yield favourable results. It is possible that things will improve for the BJP but the situation may not change drastically," said Parakal Prabhakar, a Hyderabad-based political analyst. “The impact of Narendra Modi in Karnataka is limited."
Prabhakar also said that while Modi is talking about visiting Seemandhra, he must remember that people of the area were annoyed with the BJP, especially Modi, for allowing the creation of Telangana.
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