Lok Sabha polls: Narendra Modi mocks ‘many CMs’ of Karnataka in a ‘race to loot’

March 18, 2024 08:38 pm | Updated 08:39 pm IST - Shivamogga

Alleging that the Congress has made Karnataka an “ATM for the party”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the State was left with no money to run the government.

Addressing a rally at Allama Prabhu Park in Shivamogga on Monday, Mr. Modi said there was “a race to be part of the loot.” “There is one Chief Minister-in-waiting, someone is a Chief Minister-future-aspirant, someone is a super-Chief Minister, someone is a shadow-Chief Minister, and after all of them, there is one more Delhi-Collection-Chief Minister,” he said.

He appealed to the people to ensure that the BJP and NDA alliance win all 28 Lok Sabha seats.

On ‘Shakti’

Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s speech at the INDIA convention in Mumbai on Sunday, Mr. Modi said that the INDIA alliance wanted to destroy “Hindu Shakti”. “They have proposed to finish Shakti. We are worshippers of Shakti. The fight is between those who worship Shakti and those who wish to destroy Shakti,” he said.

Mr. Modi said crores of people in the country worshipped Shakti. “I was in shock when I came to know that they spoke of destroying Shakti at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. This is the place where every child grows up chanting the slogan – Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji. I don’t know how badly Balasaheb Thackrey’s soul must have been hurt listening to such comments,” he said. Further, Mr. Modi said every woman in the country would represent Shakti. He also referred to Kuvempu’s poem, where he referred to Karnataka as Mantra Kana, Shakti Kana, Taayi Kana, Devi Kana.

Incidentally, under attack for his “fight against Shakti”, Mr. Gandhi clarified that he was not talking about any religious power but the shakti of unrighteousness, corruption, and falsehood. At a rally in Mumbai, Mr. Gandhi commented that the “fight against Modi is not on a personal level since Modi is a ‘mask’ who works for a ‘shakti’ (power).“

Divide and Rule

At Shivamogga, Mr. Modi said the Congress had been following the British’s divide and rule policy. “They divide people based on caste, religion, and community. However, they are not yet satisfied. They are playing the dangerous game of dividing the country. A Congress MP has given a statement to divide again. Instead of throwing him out of the party, they are protecting him,” he alleged, referring obliquely about D.K. Suresh’s comment that the southern States may have to seek a separate country over the injustice meted out to them in allocation of funds.