Congress activists in Mysuru staged a demonstration on Saturday to protest Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mysuru, scheduled for Sunday.
Mr. Modi will be addressing a public rally at the Maharaja’s College Grounds from 4 p.m. as part of his election campaign for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress supporters staged the protest within hours of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah questioning the morality with which Mr. Modi can approach people of Karnataka for votes after remaining indifferent to their sufferings during drought.
Scores of Congress workers assembled at the Gandhi Square and held placards which read “Go Back Modi” and raised slogans against the Prime Minister’s visit.
H.A. Venkatesh, KPCC spokesperson who addressed the gathering said that none of the promises made by Mr.Modi has been fulfilled and claimed that Mr. Modi in a 2014 election rally at the same place had announced that Mysuru would be developed on the lines of Paris. But after 10 years nothing had been done.
He said though Karnataka was under a spell of unprecedented drought nothing has been released by way of relief for the State. Mr. Venkatesh accused Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of lying to the people of Karnataka by stating that the State government had delayed the submission of their plea for drought relief. “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had personally met Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah to apprise them of the ground situation,” said Mr. Venkatesh.
He said Prime Minister did not empathise with the people of the State during flood or drought but was visiting now for votes. “He should apologize before entering Mysuru for not fulfilling his promise,” said Mr. Venkatesh.
Former MLA M.K. Somashekar said senior BJP leaders including Prime Minister Modi travel to Karnataka repeatedly during elections but not during crisis. But no matter where he addresses the public the Congress ends up winning the elections in those constituencies, he added.
The Congress activists chanted “Go back Modi” slogans to express their displeasure against the Prime Minister’s scheduled visit.
