Congress in ICU, says Modi
New Delhi, Sep 13 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hit out at opposition parties, saying the Congress, which has been trying to forge a "mahagathbandhan" for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and those part of the grand alliance form its "support system".
Modi's attack came during a video interaction with booth level workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Jaipur (Rural), Nawada, Ghaziabad, Hazaribagh and Arunachal West parliamentary constituencies.
Responding to a query of a BJP worker from Arunachal Pradesh about the opposition's efforts to forge a grand alliance, Modi said it was not a matter of opposition unity but an attempt was being made to do branding for some political parties in the name of "mahagathbandhan".
"This 'mahagathbandhan' is not a bond of knot but is an alliance of some opportunistic political parties to hide their weaknesses," he said.
"They are trying to stitch an alliance of parties while we are stitching people's hearts. This is their compulsion. Our work is to stitch relations which is our national duty," he said.
The Prime Minister said there was confusion in the "mahagathbandhan" over leadership and policy. Their intention was corrupt.
"Their only motto is 'Modi hatao', 'Modi hatao' and 'Modi hatao' (Remove Modi) while our determination is to accelerate the path of development."
Dubbing the idea of "mahagathbandhan" as an example of the BJP's rising power, he sought to know why the Congress, which had once passed a resolution against alliances, was now backtracking.
"Some years back, the Congress passed a resolution in Madhya Pradesh saying it will never go for any alliance. What is the reason today they are ready to have alliance with any political party? Today they are saying ...save me," he said.
"When a patient remains in the ICU, he is given a different kind of support system so that he can survive. The Congress is installing a support system of political parties to save itself. For the Congress, all those part of 'mahagathbandhan' are only a support system so that they rescue it from ICU."
The Prime Minister asserted that Congress efforts to form a grand coalition were not going to make any difference to the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
"If the BJP government had made some mistakes or its popularity graph had gone down or the Prime Minister had made some mistakes, would they have gone for an alliance?" Modi asked.
The opposition parties were so scared of the BJP that they felt they can never defeat it alone. "They can't stand before the BJP. This is the reason they are doing this to get together ('mel milap')," he said.
"They are 'naamdar' and we are 'kaamdar'. Their purpose is welfare of a family and ours is country's welfare. The country is going to judge them on these issues... Being a BJP worker it does not make any difference to us what our opponents are doing."
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Karnataka's Republic Day tableau depicts artistic temples of Lakkundi
New Delhi (PTI): Karnataka's tableau in the 76th Republic-Day parade here on Sunday depicted the exquisite and artistic temples of the historic city of Lakkundi.
Located in Gadag district of Karnataka, about 70 km from Hubballi, Lakkundi is called the "Cradle of Stone Craft" for its stunning stone architecture.
The front part of the tableau that rolled down Kartavya Path had the Brahma statue from the Brahma Jinalaya temple, the oldest Jain shrine in Lakkundi dedicated to Lord Mahaveera.
It was followed by the open-pillared mantapa of the Brahma Jinalaya temple.
The main section of the tableau had on display the grand and ornate Kashi Vishweshwara temple and Nanneshwara temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
The temples of Lakkundi reflect the rich cultural heritage of Karnataka and celebrate all faiths and religions. The southern state has always been a "SarvaJanangadaShaanthiya Thota", a quintessential garden of peace.
Lakkundi is home to beautiful temples, stepwells and inscriptions from the Chalukya dynasty.
Besides being a cultural powerhouse, Lakkundi was a large thriving city and a commercial hub between the 10th and 12th century AD.
The city was ruled by several dynasties but the most important of them were the Chalukyas.
Lakkundi is a paradise for antiquarians and architecture enthusiasts. It has 50 temples, most of which are dedicated to Lord Shiva, 101 stepwells and 29 inscriptions.
It is an epitome of the Kalyani Chalukyas' excellence in art, culture and architecture.
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