TUMAKURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday yet again attacked the Janata Dal Secular claiming that former PM HD Deve Gowda's party was "protecting" the Congress. Hitting out at Deve Gowda, Modi said that the JDS chief did all he could to prevent him from coming to power. "Deve Gowda threatened to commit suicide when I came to Karnataka for campaigning during the Lok Sabha elections but despite that, I only have respect for him," he said adding that the JD(S) leader should live for 100 years and serve the society.
While addressing a rally in Tumakuru, the PM also claimed that the Congress and the JD(S) have entered into a "secret" pact for the Karnataka Assembly polls. "Poll surveys, political pundits...Everyone is saying the JD(S) cannot defeat Congress. They cannot form government. If anyone can change the government in Karnataka, it is the BJP. If anyone is protecting the Congress, it is the JD(S)... Congress and JD(S) have a secret understanding...An understanding behind the curtains," Modi said.
Modi said that the Congress needs to make it clear if it had a secret understanding with JD(S) or not. He added that it was with the support of Deve Gowda's party that the Congress had its mayor in Bengaluru. "Why are you hiding this? Congress should have the courage to speak out the truth to people."
For years, the Congress kept chanting 'Gareeb'. However, when a poor mother's son became PM, they changed their slogan and started chanting ‘farmers’ : PM Modi in Tumakuru, Karnataka, #KannadigasWithModi pic.twitter.com/RexeK6UoCn
— BJP (@BJP4India) May 5, 2018
Modi's remarks are an apparent U-turn from his stand last week where he had showered praise on Deve Gowda at a rally in Udupi. He had then castigated Congress president Rahul Gandhi for "insulting" the former prime minister. However, Deve Gowda called it a way to gain the sympathy of people.
Just two days later at a rally in Bengaluru, Modi asked people not to "waste" their votes by backing Deve Gowda's party as it was going to finish "a poor, distant third" in the elections.
Modi also alleged during the rally on Saturday that the Congress, for years, spoke about poverty eradication only to garner votes, while neglecting farmers and the poor. Modi said the Congress, which ruled the country for decades, with "one family" in power for most part, neglected the poor and farmers.
"Garibi, garibi, garibi (poverty, poverty, poverty) was their constant rant. But once the son of a poor mother became the prime minister, they clammed shut...Now they don't talk about poverty," he said. He alleged the Congress was responsible for the backwardness of Tumakuru.
