Taking exception to the ruling Congress in Karnataka issuing newspaper advertisements describing the contribution of the Narendra Modi government to Karnataka as chembu (Kannada slang for emptiness), former prime minister H. D. Deve Gowda termed it as ‘cheap politics’.
“The Congress should be ashamed of itself for resorting to cheap politics by issuing such advertisements,” Mr. Gowda said while displayed the advertisement, during his address at a poll convention along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chikkaballapura on April 20.
Mr. Gowda claimed that actually it was the Congress that had handed over a chembu to Narendra Modi when he took over as the prime minister for the first time in 2014.
“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, who is also KPCC president, should know that the Congress government at the Centre that was led by Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi was accused of a series of corruption scams and looted the wealth of the country for 10 years from 2004 to 2014. The Congress government handed over a chembu to Narendra Modi in 2014. But he has now turned that chembu into an akshaya patra (an inexhaustible vessel).”
Holding the hand of Mr. Modi, who was seated next to him, Mr. Gowda said, “The Congress in Karnataka is trying to target a great person like Mr. Modi who has strived for the upliftment of oppressed sections and development of the country.”
Referring to water scarcity in about 10 districts of the region, including Bengaluru, Chikkaballapura and Kolar, Mr. Gowda mooted the idea of approaching Mr. Modi for resolving the water crisis. “Let us earn the moral right to make such a request to him by ensuring the victory in all the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. Then, let us go to him and request him to either get the water from Cauvery or Krishna to quench the thirst of this region,” he remarked.
Indirectly suggesting that the Congress guarantee schemes have not helped in tackling drinking water problem, he remarked, “They had given five guarantees earlier and are giving another 25 now.” He ridiculed the speech of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Kolar and said he would not get into the task of analysing it.
