Congress is enemy of peace and development: PM in frontal attack on party in Karnataka
Mulki (K'taka) (PTI): In a frontal attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the entire politics of the party was based on "divide and rule" policy, and charged it with going across the world defaming the country, when India's democracy and development was being "appreciated and respected globally".
Calling Congress the "enemy of peace and development", the Prime Minister also accused the party of insulting and abusing India's defence forces.
"Congress is an enemy of peace and development. When Congress is there, investors will flee. Congress protects 'aakas' (boss) of terror, they encourage appeasement," Modi said.
Addressing a public meeting here in Dakshina Kannada district of coastal Karnataka, which is a BJP stronghold, he said the Congress's only identity was "appeasement politics". "Will you (people) allow such a Congress to come to power, will you allow Karnataka to get ruined?"
He continued, "Across the country whichever state wants peace and development, the first thing people there do is to oust Congress from there. If there is peace in society and the country is progressing, Congress cannot sit peacefully or will not be able to digest it. Congress's entire politics is based on divide and rule policy."
Alleging that the Congress tried to save those who were arrested for conspiring to spread terror, Modi claimed that it not only withdrew cases against such anti-social elements, but also released them.
The "reverse-gear" Congress also takes electoral help from anti-national forces, the Prime Minister further alleged.
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Noting that the whole country respected and honoured the defence forces, Modi claimed that the Congress insulted and abused the military brass and soldiers.
"The whole world appreciates and respects India's democracy and development," he said, "but the Congress is going across the world defaming the country."
"America, Australia, Japan, UK...in every corner of the world India is being appreciated or not? Why?... It is not because of Modi, it is happening because of your (people's) votes. It's the strength of your votes, which formed a strong and stable government in Delhi," he added.
Talking about developement, the Prime Minister said: "We want Karnataka to become number one in industrial and agriculture development, fisheries and port. We are working on it."
He claimed that the Congress wanted to make Karnataka the "number one ATM" for its 'shahi parivar' (royal family) sitting in Delhi.
Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel and Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje among other BJP leaders were present at the rally.
Modi also cautioned that the Congress that "takes 85 per cent commission in every programme or scheme" would take Karnataka back by decades and "bury it in a pit".
"People of Karnataka have to be very cautious about Congress, JD(S) are also similar kinds of people," he said.
The Prime Minister urged people to bring in BJP with a "full majority and strong and stable government in Karnataka", for it to be "praised and respected across the country and the globe".
Speaking in this coastal town, Modi also highlighted the various programmes of BJP governments at the state and centre for the welfare of fishermen and the fisheries sector, including inland fisheries.
Stating that India had the world's third largest startup ecosystem today, Modi said the country had about one lakh startups and nearly a hundred unicorns.
"The BJP government is giving policy support to the startup ecosystem. We are working on preparing lakhs of young innovators for the future," he said.
Pointing out that India had reached the fifth position among major global economies under the BJP govt, surpassing the UK that had colonised us, the Prime Minister said, "This is the Modi government which put England behind and came to the fifth position... I want your support to now reach the third position among global economies. I need Karnataka's support in this effort."
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3rd T20I: A three-match 'audition' starts for Gill to find his game back
Dharamsala (PTI): The countdown to save his place in the playing XI begins for a beleaguered Shubman Gill, who is likely to get three matches against South Africa to prove his worth before the Indian team management switches to a ‘Plan B’ ahead of the T20 World Cup, starting in six weeks.
As India gear up to play the third T20I against the Proteas on Sunday in sub-10-degree temperatures in the lap of the ice-clad Dhauladhar range, things are suddenly heating up in the Indian dressing room, with the prolonged poor form of skipper Suryakumar Yadav coming under the scanner.
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Worse, his deputy Shubman Gill, who was pushed into the XI at the expense of a settled Sanju Samson, is not inspiring much confidence.
The South African pace attack featuring Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Ottniel Baartman and Lutho Sipamla — has shown how to bowl on Indian tracks, and the HPCA Stadium strip, offering extra bounce and some movement off the surface, will certainly keep them interested.
Among all T20 sides, South Africa, in terms of personnel, appears to have the requisite balance to win the trophy in the Indian subcontinent this time. Quinton de Kock’s return, along with the likes of Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Donovan Ferreira, David Miller and all-rounder Jansen, gives their batting an intimidating look.
With only eight games, starting from the third T20I, left before the start of the T20 World Cup title defence, India's under-fire head coach Gautam Gambhir won't be able to afford, two out-of-form top-order batters in the starting line-up.
Being the skipper of the side, Surya will certainly have immunity going into the T20 World Cup despite being completely out of form for the past one year but same can't be said about Gill, who wasn't the original choice as an opener.
Gill's entry into the T20 set-up was a classic case of trying to fix something that ain't broken and things haven't looked good so far.
In this backdrop, Gill would need to bat out of his skin to prove that Ajit Agarkar-led committee wasn't wrong in throwing Samson under the bus for one bad series against England.
The stylish Indian Test and ODI skipper will have to find his T20 game and at least score in two of the three matches if he doesn't want Samson to get his rightful place back or for that matter, find Yashasvi Jaiswal, with a fabulous T20I strike-rate of 165, enter the fray during New Zealand series.
Lack of clarity
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While head coach Gambhir is too proud a person to admit but sending Axar Patel as a one drop batter during the second T20I was a "tactical brain fade" from the team's think-tank.
The kind misstep that was taken with Axar's promotion is unlikely to be repeated in the third game where skipper is expected to go back to No.3 where he has got a lot of success in his first few years at the international level.
Similarly, Shivam Dube being sent at number eight due to the shuffling of batting order was another poor call which would need course correction in the next game.
Is there a place for Kuldeep Yadav?
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Kuldeep Yadav is one bowler who has consistently troubled the Proteas batter but in an Indian team where batting till No. 8 is non-negotiable, the left-arm wrist spinner often finds himself getting the rough end of the stick.
At Dharamsala too, he might have to sit out as Kuldeep and Varun Chakravarthy, two non-batters can't be clubbed in the same T20 playing eleven as that would lead to compromise in batting depth.
While Arshdeep hasn't had a good series so far, it will be interesting to find if team management can find a place for Kuldeep in the playing eleven with Hardik Pandya sharing the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah.
The five-match series is currently tied 1-1.
Teams:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, NT Tilak Verma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamla, Ottniel Baartman, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde.
Match Starts at 7 pm.
