Karnataka Elections 2023: Why the towering Modi factor is undeniable

Between January and April 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Karnataka over 10 times. In the final leg of campaigning, the prime minister addressed over 22 rallies, given his tremendous popularity in the state. While addressing one such election rally, Prime Minister Modi called out the bluff of the Congress party when he said, “When it comes to working against the interests of India, the royal family of the Congress party is at the forefront. They openly incite foreign powers to influence the politics in India.” Modi’s stinging rebuttal came close on the heels of Congress matriarch Sonia Gandhi’s loose comment at a rally where she assured Kannadigas that Karnataka’s “sovereignty” will be protected by her party. A sovereign State by definition is an independent country. So, what kind of messaging was this, for whom was this callous remark made and why was this reprehensible comment made in the first place, by Sonia? Why is Congress giving legitimacy to the “Tukde-Tukde Gang”? By referring to “Karnataka’s sovereignty”, Sonia Gandhi has revealed the Congress’s deep-rooted conspiracy to disintegrate India. People have not forgotten how the Congress government, going against public sentiment, mischievously tried introducing a separate flag in 2018 for Karnataka, to mock our allegiance to the “One Nation, One Flag” concept. The flag is a symbol of national spirit and it should not be diluted by a state flag, district flag or taluka flag — then each town will want its own flag. Can we afford that? No!  The BJP, while respecting diversity in cultures, languages and religions,is very clear that there cannot be “do vidhan, do pradhan, do nishan” (two legislations, two leaders, two flags). A separate Karnataka flag would kindle a State-Union divide, which is totally unconstitutional and exactly what Sonia Gandhi was trying to propagate with her incendiary remark. The BJP has always upheld the ethos of “ek nishan, ek vidhan, ek pradhan, ek samvidhan”. With Karnataka polls slated to go down to the wire, much has been made of Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi’s departure from the BJP to the Congress. Political pundits fail to realise that prior to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls in 2022, Swami Prasad Maurya and Dharam Singh Saini, left the BJP to join the SP and both lost. Maurya lost from Fazilnagar to BJP’s Surendra Kumar Kushwaha while Saini lost from Nakur constituency to BJP’s Mukesh Choudhury. Hence, while the Congress camp can rejoice about ex-CM Shettar and ex-Deputy CM Savadi’s departures from the BJP, both these leaders do not bring any significant political heft to the electoral battlefield. Don’t forget that under Shettar’s leadership in the 2013 assembly polls, BJP saw its tally reduced from 110 seats in 2008 to 40 seats in 2013, with vote share down by 13.9 per cent from 33.8 per cent in 2008, to only 19.9 per cent in 2013. So while the Congress camp is busy writing obituaries of the BJP, the ground reality is that thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s farsightedness, Karnataka in the last five years has seen massive socio-economic growth focussed on last-mile delivery, with Karnataka’s GDP at a handsome Rs 19 lakh crore and per capita income at a solid Rs 2.49 lakh respectively. The inauguration of Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) at Bengaluru, in November 2022, constructed at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore, is an example of how pending projects were brought to fruition by the double-engine, BJP government.  Close on the heels of the T-2 terminal, the Bengaluru-Mysore expressway that aims to decongest the traffic movement between Bengaluru and Mysore and reduce the travel time from over three hours to barely 75 minutes, was inaugurated by PM Modi in March 2023. The 119 km Bengaluru-Mysore expressway project is a 6-10 lane access-controlled highway developed at a cost of Rs 8,480 crore and is an architectural marvel. Speaking of infrastructure projects, the longest railway platform in the world at Hubballi-Dharwad, could not have come at a better time. The Hubballi station is an important junction in Karnataka and a major hub of trade and commerce. It connects the railway lines towards Bengaluru (Davanagere side), Hosapete (Gadag side) and Vasco- Da Gama, on the Belagavi (Londa side). The longer platform will help cater to the increasing transportation needs of the city and will also enhance the operational capacity of the yard. It will also facilitate multiple trains to simultaneously start from two directions. Additionally, the electrification of the Hosapete - Hubballi - Tinaighat railway section and the upgradation of the Hosapete station, aimed at improving connectivity in the area, will ensure uninterrupted train operations using electric power. The newly renovated Hosapete station inspired by the Hampi monuments will offer contemporary amenities to passengers. Prime Minister Modi also recently inaugurated the commencement of the Dharwad Multi Village Water Supply Scheme, estimated to cost more than Rs 1,040 crore. The decision to set up an AIIMS at Dharwad has also been taken. Speaking of the “Modi Factor”, the Central government recently provided Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra scheme, and Rs 5000 crore for the Upper Krishna scheme and also resolved the Mahadayi issue. Construction of a greenfield airport in Raichur district and the Mysore-Kushalnagar 4-lane highway will add to the ease of living of Kannadigas, going forward. The Bharatmala and Sagarmala projects are additionally transforming the landscape of India and Karnataka clearly, has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of these two projects. The Bengaluru-Mysore Expressway crosses through the heritage towns of Ramnagar and Mandya. The potential for tourism will not only get a boost but accessibility to the birthplace of Maa Kaveri will also be made possible. The Bengaluru-Mangaluru highway which has always been affected by landslides during the monsoons, impacting port connectivity in the region, will now be addressed by widening of this highway. The Modi government recently, directly transferred Rs 12,000 crore into the bank accounts of the farmers of Karnataka, via PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna, with more than 2.75 lakh farmers belonging to the Mandya region alone, getting Rs 600 crore. To ensure home delivery of government services, the Karnataka government has launched a scheme “Janasevaka“. The services include senior citizen-affiliated identity and health cards, ration cards and 58 other services, especially for those who are immobile for some or other reasons. Similarly, the “Janaspandana” scheme is an integrated public grievance redressal system to fast-track grievances of the electorate. Both these schemes aim to ensure the timely delivery of government services to the people of Karnataka with the help of innovative and efficient management systems. Among the significant achievements of the double engine BJP government in Karnataka are: (1) 48 lakh toilets built under the Swachh Bharat Mission, (2) Clean drinking water has been provided to about over one crore households under the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme, ( 3) Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana,over 7 lakh houses have been sanctioned, (4) Under the Ujjwala Yojana, free gas facility to over 31.5 lakh households, has been provided, (5) Increase in reservations for Scheduled Castes, from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and for Scheduled Tribes from 3 to 7 per cent, (6) Employment of 11,136 civil workers has been made permanent (7) Under Ayushman Bharat scheme,31.74 lakh cards have been distributed,of which 14.44 lakh beneficiaries have already been treated at a cost of Rs 1311.33 crore, (8) To curb the menace of conversion in the Karnataka, the State BJP government has enacted the Anti-Conversion Bill, (9) The Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act was enacted and construction of cow sheds across the State has happened on a war footing, (10) A Rs 5000 subsidy is being given by the State government to each of the 30,000 pilgrims of the Karnataka travelling by “Bharat Gaurav Kashi Yatra” train to holy pilgrimage places like Kashi, Ayodhya, Prayagraj etc, (11) Under the Belaku scheme 1.44 lakh households in rural areas have been provided electricity connection,which has been implemented since September 1, 2021, (12) Under the Shepherd Self Reliance scheme, measures to provide 20 sheep and 1 goat to the shepherds at an estimated grant of 354 crore has been done, (13) Rs 462.12 crore stipend through DBT to a total of 2.97 lakh students to encourage education for children of construction workers,has been provided for, (14) Under the “Raita Vidyanidhi” scholarship scheme, 15 lakh children of farmers, fishermen, weavers, auto taxi drivers will benefit from this scheme, (15) Voluntary sanction of pension to 49,281 beneficiaries under “Door-to-Door Pension” campaign, out of a total of 71,632 eligible beneficiaries, (16) 32,159 guest teachers have been appointed in government primary high schools and 3718 guest lecturers in pre-graduate colleges, (17) A grant has been given by the BJP government in Karnataka for the construction of 5000 houses for fishermen, (18) At the recent global investor meet held in Bangalore, around Rs 9.82 lakh crore of investment has been committed,of which Rs 2.83 lakh crore has already been approved, (19) A total of 13 most important irrigation projects of Kittur Karnataka and Kalyana Karnataka have been approved by the State BJP government,for a total of Rs 5,701.38 crore, (20) The mantra of the double engine  BJP government is the prosperity of the poor and to that effect,the BJP government has allocated more than Rs 32,000 crore for the development of the SC/ST community under the tribal sub-scheme,for the upliftment of these communities.With PM Modi’s rallies in Karnataka drawing massive crowds,this is an election whose outcome may spring a nasty surprise for an overconfident and  complacent Congress,that refuses to learn from its past mistakes in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. A major talking point in the BJP manifesto in Karnataka is the promise to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), while the Congress has promised to ban the Bajrang Dal and the Popular Front of India (PFI) that “spread hatred on grounds of religion or caste”. By equating Bajrang Dal with PFI, a Hinduphobic Congress has scored a self-goal. The name “Bajrang” is a reference to the Hindu deity Hanuman. The Bajrang Dal’s slogan is “Seva, Suraksha, Sanskar”  as in, “Service, Safety and Culture”. It opposes any form of radicalisation, demographic jihad, forced conversions, or illegal cow slaughter, and takes pride in Hindu culture and traditions. On the other hand, PFI, a radical and bloodthirsty outfit, was banned by the Modi government in September 2022, vide various sections of the UAPA. Also, if the Congress indeed dislikes the PFI, why has it always solicited support from the SDPI, which is nothing but the political arm of the PFI? On the one hand Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi talk about banning terror outfits, while on the other hand, they openly support radical outfits like SDPI, IUML and the Welfare Party of India, which openly and at times subtly, propagate Jihad in its various forms. But well, while Congress and hypocrisy have been bedmates for far too long, the electorate is way smarter than what jaded Congress workers give them credit for. The BJP has listed six promises in its manifesto — Anna (food security), Abhaya (social welfare), Akshara (education), Aarogya (health), Abhivruddhi (development), and Aadaaya (income), apart from guarantees in other categories such as agriculture, rural development, economy and industry, and infrastructure. In the inclusive development section, the BJP has listed a promise to annually provide three cooking gas cylinders for free to all families below the poverty line (BPL) during the festivals of Yugadi, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Deepavali. The BJP also hopes to expand “multi-story housing schemes” to include all major cities and aims to build five lakh houses for the urban poor. It has also promised to set up an “Atal Aahara Kendra’’ in every ward of every municipal corporation in Karnataka to provide affordable, quality and healthy food. It has also promised to bring in a “poshan”  or nutrition scheme through which every BPL household will be provided half a litre of Nandini milk and monthly ration kits. The Party has also promised to “end manual scavenging through mechanisation and adopt the Singapore model on a pilot basis in cities like Tumakuru and Hubballi-Dharwad”. Interestingly, the BJP has guaranteed an increase in the annual insurance coverage under Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka to Rs 10 lakh per family,for BPL card holders. Through its “Swasthya Karnataka” mission, it hopes to establish a nursing college, a medical college and a super-speciality hospital in each district. It has also promised a “namma” clinic in every ward of every corporation and free annual health checkups for all senior citizens. Under its “Anaemia Mukt” scheme, it has proposed to scale up the provision of iron-folic acid supplements for children between six months and five years. The Party has promised to ensure 1000 farm producer organisations (FPOs), including 200 fishery FPOs, that are to be established in five years; a comprehensive irrigation system will be created through the Bhagiratha- Shapatha scheme and a Rs 30,000 crore K-Agri fund will be set up. The Party has also proposed setting up cold storage facilities near airports and seaports for ease in exports, increasing incentives for dairy farmers to Rs 7 per litre and launching mobile veterinary clinics. Additionally, the BJP has promised to triple budgetary allocation for education to 6 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), launch a “Pre-Kshana Mission” targeting pre-primary and primary children to achieve foundational literacy and numeracy by 2025; establish one Karnataka Institute of Technology along the lines of the IITs in every district; and implement “Visveshwara Vidya Yojane” under which the State government will partner with eminent individuals and institutions for a holistic upgrade of government schools. The BJP has also promised a State credit guarantee trust scheme for MSMEs, giving collateral-free loans up to Rs 1 crore; the creation of a “plug and play” environment for MSMEs to access workspace, business services and logistical support at a nominal rent in every district; a Rs 5000-crore fund for Start-ups in sunrise sectors; industry status for the Kannada film industry; and the establishment of “India’s largest film industry” in Mysuru.The Party also aims to broaden the “scope of production-linked incentive scheme by incorporating a comprehensive scheme that encompasses logistic, industrial clusters and export facilities, generating 10 lakh manufacturing jobs”. Suffice it to conclude by saying that while the Karnataka election is being made into a Lingayat versus Vokkaliga battle, the reality is quite different. True, caste equations will come into play as they do in most elections in India. What is equally true however is the fact that the voters should never be taken for granted. They are increasingly becoming savvier by the day and realise that eventually, they need to vote beyond religious or caste considerations and vote for a Party that has both the ability and willingness to ensure last-mile delivery. And indeed, when it comes to democratising the fruits of growth and development, the double-engine government of BJP is most certainly miles ahead of others. As for the “Modi Factor”, it stands tall and upright and is set to be the single biggest catalyst that will propel the BJP to victory. The author is an economist, national spokesperson of the BJP and the bestselling author of ‘The Modi Gambit’. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.