Udupi, May 4: Former chief minister and Congress Manifesto Drafting Committee chairman M Veerappa Moily said that instead of investing Rs 56,000 crore in HAL Company of Bengaluru to manufacture Rafale fighter jets as per the agreement between India and France during UPA period, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has scrapped the deal in order to help private corporate companies and thus betrayed Karnataka.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday evening, Moily said that though Modi had toured in the coastal region during last Assembly election, the Congress had managed to win seven seats out of eight in Dakshina Kannada and three out of five in Udupi. This time, the Congress would sweep all the 13 seats, he exuded confidence.

Dalits of the country have turned against the central government and in the same way, women have also been opposing the Modi government. Though the police have arrested rape accused BJP MLA in Uttar Pradesh, the party has not yet suspended him from the party. It is ridiculous that the minister of Jammu and Kashmir who supported the rape accused of Kathua incident was given promotion and thus, both the Prime Minister and the Central government have lost their credibility, he said.

BJP is on the declining path and it would be clear after May 12. Same thing will happen in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh elections. Rahul Gandhi would come to power in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he said.

On BJP manifesto, Moily said it was a copy of Congress manifesto, because it has no credibility. There is a drought for new programmes in that manifesto. Assurance of waiving of farmers loans upto Rs 1 lakh is another cheating strategy of BJP. Because, when the BJP was in power, then CM Yeddyurappa himself had said that he cannot mint the money, he said.

During Modi’s tenure, more than Rs 95000 crore was looted from the banks and the NPA which was just 2 per cent during UPA period was jumped to 10 per cent now, he said.

Rajya Sabha Member and AICC leader Oscar Fernandes, leaders Dominik P, Janardhan Tonse, Gopal Bhandari, Dinesh Putran, BA Bava, MA Gafur and others were present.

Siddu is Pulikeshi-2

When asked as to why Siddaramaiah is contesting from two constituencies despite having confidence of winning the election, Moily said that it was not the decision of Siddaramaiah. It was a decision of the party and there is a historic importance for that decision, he said.

Drawing inference from history, Moily said that Pulikeshi-II of Chalukya dynasty had made Badami as their kingdom. During that period, when King Harshavardhana of Uttar Bharat had tried to cross Narmada River, Pulikeshi-II had defeated him and chased. In the same way, Siddaramaiah who is contesting from Badami, would check Modi’s invasion into the South, he said. 

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.



Sidhi (MP) (PTI): A BJP leader from Sidhi district in Madhya Pradesh was arrested on Tuesday on charges of raping a woman leader and extorting money, police said.

The BJP immediately expelled him from the party after he was arrested.

The FIR stated that the victim, also a BJP leader, was allegedly raped under the pretext of giving her a party ticket. The accused allegedly filmed the video of the incident and used it to extort money.

The accused, Ajitpal Singh Chouhan, also threatened to kill the woman's husband and forced her father-in-law to give money by showing him the obscene video, the FIR stated.

Chouhan was booked on January 13 under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) sections 64 (1) (rape), 308 (5) (extortion by putting someone in fear of death or grievous hurt), 296 (obscene act) and 351 (3) (criminal intimidation).

Sidhi district BJP president Dev Kumar Singh expelled Ajitpal Singh Chouhan from the primary membership of the party.