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The union home minister said he believed the BJP would win all 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka as well.
There is no match between the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA alliance, he said, accusing the opposition bloc of rampant corruption and scams. There is also no match between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who never takes leave, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who travels abroad as summer sets in, he added.
”In the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, there is BJP and NDA under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on one side — and we are in the election fray under Modi’s leadership — while on the other side there is this alliance of ‘pariwarwadis’ (dynasts) and ‘brashtacharis’ (corrupt) — the INDIA alliance,” Shah said.
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”Prime Minister Modi has placed a ‘400-paar’ target in front of all the BJP workers this time. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, people of Karnataka gave 43 per cent votes and gave us 17 seats. In 2019, with 51 per cent votes, they gave us 25 seats. But this time my request to people and party workers is to ensure 60 per cent votes and win all 28 seats for the BJP alliance,” he added.
Shah was addressing the ‘Shakti Kendra’ (a collective of 3-5 booths) leaders and workers from Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Bangalore Rural and Chikkaballapur segments on Palace Grounds here.
Noting that he can say with full confidence that the BJP-JD(S) will win all 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, Shah said they will not let Congress open its account in the state.
”On one side there is Narendra Modi, who worked for 23 years as chief minister and prime minister; in 23 years, the opposition could not put even 25 paise of corruption allegation against Modi,” he said. ”For 23 years, Modi with transparency has set an example in the country. On the other side, there is this ‘ghamandiya’ (arrogant) alliance of corruption.”
During the 10 years of Congress rule under Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, there was a scam and corruption of Rs 12 lakh crore, he further claimed, and also hit out at Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over the issue of corruption. ”People of Karnataka don’t like corruption,” he said.
Listing out various scams reported by the media under UPA rule such as ”Coal Block, Commonwealth, 2G, INX Media, Aircel, Land-for-Job, Jammu Kashmir Cricket Association”, among others, Shah said the Congress, which was allegedly involved in scams of about Rs 12 lakh crore, is competing with Modi.
”There is a clear option before the people of the country: on one side there is Narendra Modi who ran the administration for 23 years without even a paise of corruption, while on the other side is Congress that was involved in scams of Rs 12 lakh crore. These people, whenever they get power, not only indulge in corruption, their mind is never focused on serving people,” he claimed.
Stating that he has been working with Modi for 40 years, Shah said Modi is probably the only person in the world who was CM and PM for 23 years, and did not take a single day’s leave.
”He always worked for ‘Bharat’, did not take a single day’s leave. While Rahul ‘baba’ on the other hand, goes abroad as the summer sets in. Every six months, the Congress keeps searching for him,” he said. ”There is no match. The whole country is unitedly standing with Narendra Modi,” he asserted.
Veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, party state President B Y Vijayendra and its General Secretary in-charge of elections in Karnataka Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, and Leader of Opposition in Assembly R Ashoka were among several top leaders present at the event.
Shah said Modi ensured Ram Lalla is shifted from a tent to a grand temple in Ayodhya, as he accused the Congress of ”stalling it for decades.” He accused Congress leaders — Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and M Mallikarjun Kharge — of skipping the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya despite invitation because of ”appeasement politics”.
He also defended the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and claimed that the Modi administration has ended Naxalism and terrorism in the country, and recalled quick retaliation to Uri and Pulwama terror attacks.
Noting that India has become the world’s fifth largest economy under Modi from being eleventh, Shah said: ”Ensure Modi is ‘400 paar’ (NDA crosses 400 seats) and make him PM third time. Modi’s guarantee is that India will become the third largest economy.”
Taking a dig at INDIA alliance for recently organising ”save democracy and save constitution” meets, he said, ”what has happened to democracy? Nothing has happened to democracy, they did this meeting aimed at saving or protecting the corrupt.”
”Listen with open ears, we had said in 2014 that those involved in Rs 12 lakh crore scams and corruption (during UPA) will be put behind bars. Tell me those involved in corruption should be put behind bars or not?” he said, targeting Rahul Gandhi and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee pointing at alleged involvement of their party leaders and Ministers in corruption and the amount of money seized during raids by agencies.