Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has said that for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, election campaigning is more important than governance and this is evident in their frequent trips to poll-bound States, including Karnataka.
Addressing a press conference in Hubballi on Wednesday, Mr. Gehlot said that the frequent visits of Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah to Karnataka for election campaigning indicated their desperation to win the Assembly elections.
He said that these people are doing politics by keeping religion and caste in the front and one day, they will realise that there are problems like unemployment and hunger too.
Expressing the confidence of a Congress victory in Karnataka, he said that it is essential for the two to experience defeat in Karnataka to make them reconsider their style of functioning and formulation of policies that hitherto were of little benefit to the commoners.
He said that Mr. Modi should remember that ideologies of dictators like Hitler have been buried now and by electing the Congress in Karnataka, the people will give a message to the nation.
“Mr. Modi who spoke against corruption does politics and campaigns keeping the corrupt by his side. And, Mr. Modi never speaks of it,” he said and added that the BJP is threatening the Opposition parties by misusing Central agencies like ED, Income Tax and CBI and it will be taught a lesson in the coming days.
He defended the Congress manifesto proposing a ban on Bajrang Dal, saying that the Supreme Court itself has issued an order on banning organisations and individuals who try to disrupt peace and tranquility in society and non-adherence to the order will be contempt of court.
Emphasising that the Congress-ruled states are in a better position in terms of development compared to the BJP-ruled states, Mr. Gehlot said that the Congress has fulfilled its election promises, including waiving farm loans taken from cooperative banks.
He said that Mr. Modi has done little towards waiving loans that farmers have taken from nationalised banks.
Taking exception to Mr. Modi terming Opposition leaders as a gang of corrupt individuals, Mr. Gehlot said that it is nothing but Mr. Modi’s arrogance. He said that democracy will be in danger, if the BJP is again voted to power in Karnataka and it will also increase Mr. Modi’s arrogance.
He said that the exit of the former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar from the BJP clearly indicates the lack of respect for senior leaders in the BJP, particularly those who built the party.
AICC spokespersons Rohan Gupta, Alok Sharma, Mr. Jagadish Shettar, the former MP I.G. Sanadi and others were present.
Mr. Gehlot, who greeted Mr. Jagadish Shettar by garlanding him, later canvassed for him and appealed to the members of Rajasthani communities in Hubballi Dharwad Central to vote for Mr. Shettar.
