Narendra Modi in Karnataka: 'Arrogant' Rahul Gandhi thinks seat reserved for one dynasty, says PM

In the final lap of his campaign blitz in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched a sharp attack against Congress president Rahul Gandhi , saying a “dynast” aspiring to be the prime minister was sheer “arrogance”.

Addressing back-to-back rallies at different places in the southern state, which votes on Saturday to elect a new government, Modi said Congress leaders were arranging big meetings and conspiring to remove him.

Gandhi ‘day-dreaming’ of becoming PM

Taking a swipe at Gandhi, Modi, on his sixth day of campaigning, said he was ‘day-dreaming’ of becoming the prime minister in 2019. He said that the Congress leader was not bothered about his party, its legacy, senior leaders, or the country.

“From morning till evening, while sleeping and while awake, he has only one thing on his mind and that is the prime minister’s chair,” he said while addressing rallies at Bangarpet, Chikkamagalur, Belagavi and Bidar. “Such is the arrogance of the ’naamdhaar’. This naamdhaar (dynast) doesn’t care about others who are standing in the queue.”

“He came like a bully, marched his way ahead when there were others waiting with so many years of experience. How can someone just declare himself the prime minister? This is simply nothing but sheer arrogance,” Modi said.

He said Gandhi with an “inflated ego despite losing 25-30 elections in the last four years” didn’t even bother about the leaders who have been waiting for 40 years and about other allies in the UPA.

Modi’s attack on Gandhi at his rallies came a day after the Congress president said he was ready to occupy the prime minister’s post if his party emerged as the largest party in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The prime minister addressed 21 rallies while making six visits to the state where the BJP is going all out to unseat the Siddaramaiah government and regain power.

Congress shamelessly using undemocratic means

On the seizure of thousands of alleged fake voter ID cards and a lakh Form-6 (voter registration form) applications for the inclusion and transfer of voters from a flat here, Modi said, “Looking at defeat in front of them, as their tricks did not work, they have started a new game.”

“I want to tell the people to be alert till 12 May (the day of voting)… The Congress shamelessly is using undemocratic means.” Citing media reports, he alleged that by using thousands of fake voter ID cards, the Congress was attempting to win the election.

“People of Karnataka will not forgive the Congress for this… One is caught… don’t know how many such sins they have committed,” he added.

On attempts to forge an anti-BJP front, Modi said “big, big meetings are happening… big, big stalwarts are meeting” to remove him from power, “but keeping them all in the dark, Gandhi declared he will be the prime minister.” “Doesn’t this show the level of no-confidence within the (proposed) coalition?” he asked.

In his rally at Chikkamagaluru, Modi said that with great difficulty, the Congress had secured 40-odd Lok Sabha seats and lost elections in most of the states.

Congress brought ‘six evils’ to India

Modi also accused the Congress, which has been in power in Karnataka for the last five years, of not doing justice with the aspirations of the people of the state and instead, bringing six evils – “Congress culture, communalism, casteism, crime, corruption and contract system” – to the country.

He said Congress leaders were out on bail in a Rs 5,000 crore scam and had “absolutely no respect for many of our prominent institutions like the Election Commission, CBI, army, Enforcement Director or Vice-President’s office.

“The Congress has been on a spree to disrespect and belittle these great institutions,” Modi said, adding that they were now questioning the judiciary and even calling for the impeachment of the Chief Justice of India.

‘Manmohan’s remote was at 10, Janpath’

The prime minister also attacked his predecessor Manmohan Singh, who on Monday had criticised the BJP government for its “disastrous policies” and “economic mismanagement”, leaving the country with crises that were avoidable.

“When Manmohan had his government in the Centre, the remote control was at 10, Janpath (official residence of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi),” he said.

Under his rule, Modi said, it was the people who held the remote control. The prime minister said he would continue to follow the orders of the “high command” – the countrymen, the citizens.

Gandhi’s Congress has no chance of survival

Modi also attacked the Congress for “defaming” institutions such as the CAG, CBI, NIA, ED and RBI by calling them wrong, and saying only the Congress is right and trying to “break the morale” of the army and security forces by raising questions about them.

“You might have seen in the last few elections the Congress is losing, and instead of accepting defeat by following democratic principles, they are lying by blaming EVMs,” he said. He said the Congress had defamed the Election Commission of India that is respected globally for its work.

“They have started defaming the EC after they started seeing defeat. For them, the EVMs are wrong, the Congress right, the Election Commission wrong, the Congress right,” he said.

Concluding his campaign at Bidar in north Karnataka, Modi said people of the state had decided to punish the party in such a way that now the party has no chance of survival. “Congress would secure the lowest number of seats in the state’s electoral history in Karnataka Assembly polls,” Modi said.

“It is clear to me that after Karnataka election under the leadership of Delhi’s naamdhar, the entire Karnataka Congress will go for Kailash Manasarovar Yatra,” Modi said.

Modi was apparently referring to Gandhi’s remarks on 29 April when he had said he would undertake the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, saying the thought struck him when he was travelling to the state in a chartered aircraft that suddenly came down by 8,000 feet recently.

Modi also flayed Gandhi over his visit to meet RJD leader Lalu Prasad “who has been punished by the court on charges of corruption and is in jail.” “Isn’t this support for corruption?” he asked.

With inputs from agencies