Modi leading the country to dictatorship, says Mallikarjun Kharge
Mangaluru, Feb 17: AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the Narendra Modi government should not be brought back to power at the Centre as he is leading the country to dictatorship.
The Prime Minister did not honour his promise of creating more jobs for the unemployed youth and depositing Rs 15 lakh to the bank accounts of all citizens, he said.
"Modi wants to become a dictator and control the entire governance including law enforcement agencies and the media," he alleged while speaking at the Congress workers' state-level convention on the outskirts of the city.
Launching the party's campaign for the Lok Sabha elections in the state, he said the Congress is confident of securing at least 20 seats in Karnataka. While the Congress fulfilled all the guarantees in its election manifesto in Karnataka, Modi went back on his words, Kharge said.
He further said Modi was always stressing on personal guarantees, while the Congress collectively refers to its promises as the party's guarantees. Unlike Modi, who promotes his personal image, the Congress gives thrust to the collective commitment of the party, he added.
ALSO READ: LS polls: Congress hopeful of winning in coastal Karnataka region, says D K Shivakumar
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also addressed the gathering of party workers, said the Congress is positioned to get a minimum of 20 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in the state.
Prime Minister Modi had not fulfilled any of the promises he made in the last 10 years, he said, and asked the people not to trust the BJP.
"The BJP manipulates emotions and exploits religious and caste divisions among the people. The people of the country had never witnessed the BJP's promised 'Acche Din' in the last decade, whereas the Congress does not make false promises," Siddaramaiah said.
The Congress has delivered on all the five guarantees it presented before the people in the last Assembly elections in just eight months, while the BJP implemented only 60 out of 600 promises they made, the Chief Minister said.
Both Nalin Kumar Kateel and Shobha Karandlaje, the Lok Sabha MPs from the coastal region, had failed to get Central funds released for the state, he said and urged the voters to elect Congress candidates in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.
Deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar, in his speech, said the Congress has a glorious tradition in Mangaluru where veteran leaders like Janardhan Poojary and Veerappa Moily strengthened the grassroot level work of the party.
Shivakumar, who is also KPCC president, asked workers to approach the voters with confidence as the Congress has implemented its promises in the state. Dharmasthala dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade himself had said the number of devotees to Dharmasthala has increased due to the Congress guarantee of free bus travel to women and are offering prayers in the name of the Chief Minister, he added.
Shivakumar said Janata Dal(S) leader H D Deve Gowda, who once vowed to leave the country if the BJP wins, is now joining hands with the same party to save his son.
Calling for unity in the Congress, Shivakumar said all party workers should come together to achieve a massive victory for the party in the coming elections.
AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala also spoke.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwar, Dakshina Kannada district-in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Ashok Kumar Rai, MLA, B K Hariprasad, MLC, KPCC working president Salem Ahmed, state ministers K H Muniyappa, R V Deshpande, K J George, Laxmi Hebbalkar, former MLAs Ramanath Rai and Vinay Kumar Sorake and DCC president Harish Kumar MLC were present.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
NIA registers case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.
The move came following a directive by the Union Home Ministry in this regard, they said.
In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.
"The case pertains to recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by Kolkata police, which were being stored at a spot, thereby endangering human life and property," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had directed the West Bengal Police to launch a special drive to arrest those involved in illegal manufacturing of crude bombs in the poll-bound state, an official said.
It asserted that all cases related to the making of any such explosive would be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the official said.
The directive came after the police recovered a large number of crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, days ahead of the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state.
The explosives were recovered during a search at the residence of Rafikul Islam following specific inputs, the official said.
The poll panel also issued a warning to senior police officers across the state over any lapse in maintaining law and order before the April 29 polling.
The first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal was held on April 23, while the second phase will take place on April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 93.19 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first round of polling. Bhangar will vote in the second phase.
