BJP will meet the fate of "India Shining" due to anti-poor policies: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru: Predicting defeat for BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah Monday mockingly said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet the fate of 'India Shining' due to his anti- poor policies.
"After completing five years, Vajpayee came up with a slogan 'India Shining' in 2004.
I don't know where it shined.
If it had really shone, there was no need for any welfare schemes. History tells us what happened to 'India Shining'. Narendra Modi will also meet the same fate," Siddaramaiah said at a 'Meet the Press' programme at the Press Club of Bangalore.
He was referring to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee led National Democratic Alliance government's slogan 'India Shining' in 2004.
India Shining referred to the overall feeling of economic optimism in the country during the 2004 general elections.
The NDA witnessed a defeat and a stunning comeback of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre to rule India for 10 years.
The Congress leader slammed BJP for criticising Congress party's poll promise - Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme (Nyunatam Aay Yojana-NYAY) - that is estimated to cost Rs 3.26 lakh crore to the national exchequer.
"They (BJP) mock our scheme of giving Rs 3.5 lakh crore to the poor people and speak low about it.
The very fact that they are opposing this programme, they are anti-poor. They cannot stand with the economically weaker section", he said.
There are no such instances also whether be it former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Modi's five year term," Siddaramaiah charged.
To support his claim of Modi's defeat in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, he said the BJP will fail to repeat its 2014 stellar performance in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Siddaramaiah said the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party alliance in UP and Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress tie-up in Bihar will trounce the BJP.
"BJP will not win. Modi will not be prime minister again," he asserted.
Flaying Modi for "politicising" surgical strike, the formerchief minister said such surgical strikes had happened in the past too including during the formation of Bangladesh by breakingPakistan into two.
However, for the first time such heroic actions were politicised, he alleged.
The senior Congress leader also questioned what he termed as the "intelligence failure" which led to the deadly attack on Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) convoy, killing 40 soldiers in January.
"What happened to your intelligence in Pulwama? What were your agencies doing when your soldiers were ferried in trucks and not airlifted?" Siddaramaiah sought to know.
The incident had further soured India-Pakistan relations with India avenging the killing with airstrikes on the terror camps inside the Pakistan territory in February.
To a question, Siddaramaiah allayed fears about the longevity of the coalition government of Congress and JD(S) led by chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.
He said the government will remain post Lok Sabha elections.
Replying to a query on Congress rebel candidates, the former chief minister said those have no ideological base shift their loyalties and change parties.
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Stalin claims DMK secured 1.54 crore votes
Chennai (PTI): DMK president M K Stalin on Tuesday, in a veiled reference to the TVK, claimed that the party that won additional constituencies has gained only 17.43 lakh more votes than the DMK.
He was referring to the April 23 Assembly polls where the DMK and its allies secured 74 seats, with the Dravidian party netting 59 constituencies.
In a statement, Stalin said, "the percentage difference in votes between us and them is just 3.52 per cent," in an apparent reference to the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kahzagam emerged victorious in the polls, the results of which were announced on Monday.
Claiming that the DMK alliance has secured 1.54 crore votes, Stalin said, "I consider each and every one of your votes as an invaluable token of trust".
Stating that DMK has been in power several times, he said "there is no victory we have not seen and there is no defeat we have not faced".
"Whether in victory or defeat, those who regard them equally and continue their journey toward their ideals are the comrades of the party", he said adding "you are the lifeblood and roots of the movement".
"The harvest of 1.54 crore votes is the fruit of your commitment", he said.
"What return can I offer for your hard work? With the feeling of being the chief worker, we will continue our journey," the DMK chief added.
Stalin said "if we are the ruling party, we will formulate schemes for the people. If we are the opposition party, we will fight for the people's demands. In that regard, now as a strong opposition party, we will continue to work for the people".
Asserting that the DMK will continue the journey of taking forward the policies of the century-old great Dravidian movement, protecting race, language, and nation, the DMK leader said "in our journey, I will not leave anyone behind. We will win again".
