“Congress is standing with terror tendencies,” he said.
Ballari, Karnataka:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched an all-out attack on the Congress, accusing it of “kneeling” before terrorism to save its vote bank. At an election rally for his party, the BJP, in Karnataka’s Bellari, he accused the grand old party of opposing the controversial film ‘The Kerala Story’, which he said is based on a terror conspiracy. Congress is supporting those elements who are defending terrorism by trying to ban this film, he said.
“Bombs, guns, and pistols make a lot of sound, but there is no sound of a terrorist conspiracy which can hollow the society from within. Even the court has expressed concern over this form of terror. There are a lot of discussions these days about the film ‘The Kerala Story’ based on such a terrorist conspiracy,” he said, and accused the Congress of opposing the film made on terrorism and standing with terror apologists.
“It is said that ‘The Kerala Story’ is based on terrorist conspiracies in just one state. A terrorist conspiracy has been revealed in such a beautiful state of the country, where people are so hard-working and talented,” he added.
Calling it “disinformation”, the PM, while beginning his speech, dismissed the pre-poll surveys giving an edge to Congress in the May 10 Assembly elections in the southern state.
“The Congress has been using corruption to loot the people of this country ever since the eve of independence. Now, they are using another tactic – using disinformation to fool the people and win the election,” he said, adding that the Congress will “go to any extent for appeasement”.
He again raised the pitch on the Congress promising to ban organisations like the Bajrang Dal, without explicitly naming the outfit.
“The Congress is shuddering to see the support we are getting. They get scared even if I say ‘Jai Bajrangbali’,” he said and made the audience repeat the chant with him several times, like in his last rally in the state.
In its manifesto for the elections in Karnataka, the Congress equated the banned Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) with Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the Sangh-affiliated Vishwa Hindu Parishad, saying it will ban such organisations that promote “enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities”.
The PM kept slamming Congress throughout his speech, with repeated accusations of the party being soft on terror and a “back door deal” with supporters of extremism.
“BJP has always been tough on terrorism. But whenever there is an action taken against terrorism, Congress develops a stomachache. Today the whole world is worried about terrorism. We have suffered from this for long. Terrorism is anti-human and regressive. But to save its own vote bank, Congress has kneeled down before terrorism. Can it protect Karnataka?” he said.
Hitting back at the Congress’ “40 per cent commission” barbs alluding to alleged corruption in the state government, the PM said Congress had long back accepted that it’s an 85 per cent commission party.
“Rajiv Gandhi had said that when the central government sends Rs 1, only 15 paise reach the people. This means that he himself had accepted Congress as 85 per cent commission party,” the PM said.