Belagavi, Feb 27: With Assembly polls in Karnataka round the corner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a massive road show in this district headquarters city, waving at a large number of enthusiastic crowd, who had lined up on both sides of the route.

The Prime Minister is in the city to lay the foundation stone and dedicate multiple development initiatives, and also to release the 13th instalment of PM-KISAN worth more than Rs 16,800 crores. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme launched by the Centre in 2019, all landholding farmer families in the country are provided income support of Rs 6,000 in three instalments of Rs 2,000 each, every four months.

About 10.5-km-long road show route to Malini City (venue of the stage event) was decked up with saffron hues,as BJP flags, posters and banners were seen all along.

Standing on the 'running board' of his moving car, Modi greeted by waving at the crowd gathered on the sides of the roads and on nearby buildings, many of whom were seen chanting 'Modi, Modi' slogans and shouting loud cheers.

At many places, people showered flower petals as his cavalcade passed through the stretch slowly.

Over 10,000 women clad in saree and saffron peta (traditional headgear) accorded a 'purnakumbha' (ceremonial) welcome to Modi, party sources said.

There were also a number of stage shows, some also equipped with LEDs, put up along the route, depicting the culture and traditions of various regions of the country and historic personalities, also programmes of the BJP government, they said.

Karnataka, a BJP governed state, goes to Assembly polls by May.

After Bengaluru Urban with 27 Assembly segments (28 including Anekal), Belagavi, bordering Maharashtra, is the second biggest district in the State with 18 seats.

In 2018, BJP won 13 seats in Belagavi, and emerged as the single largest party with 105 seats in the State.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Monday slammed as "outrageous and unacceptable" Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi's remark that "secularism is a European concept" and demanded his immediate sacking.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that Ravi is "only a trial balloon floater" and is echoing what Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to get done.

Ramesh's remarks came after Ravi said secularism is a European concept that evolved after a conflict between the church and the king whereas Bharat is a dharma-centric nation and therefore, it was not part of the Constitution but added during Emergency by "one insecure prime minister".

The Tamil Nadu governor, while addressing an event in the Kanyakumari district on Sunday, said a lot of frauds have been committed against the people of the country and one of those was a wrong interpretation of secularism.

Reacting to the remarks, Ramesh said, "This man, who has taken an oath on the Constitution and who -- inspite of his drumbeating -- remains a Constitutional functionary, should be sacked forthwith. He is a disgrace."

"This is not the first outrageous and unacceptable statement he has made. But he is only a trial balloon floater. He is echoing what the non-biological PM wants to get done," the Congress leader said.

Ravi had also said, "What does secularism mean? Secularism is a European concept, secularism is not a Bharatiya concept."

Decades later, during Emergency (1975-77), "one insecure prime minister," introduced secularism in the Constitution in order to appease some sections of people, the Governor alleged.

Indira Gandhi was the prime minister during Emergency.

Ravi further said that secularism emerged in Europe as there was a fight between the church and the king and in order to end this conflict, which went on for a long time, this concept was evolved.

At the time of Independence, when the Constitution was being drafted, a discussion came up on secularism and the Constituent Assembly rejected it observing that Bharat is a dharma-centric country and there has been no conflict, similar to what was witnessed in Europe, Ravi had claimed.