Narendra Modi will continue campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 on Thursday. For updates on Karnataka polls read Business Standard
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake his third round of campaigning in poll-bound Karnataka on Thursday. The BJP has also lined up a galaxy of leaders, including Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, to address public meetings in the next few days, BJP sources said. Modi had launched his campaign blitzkrieg yesterday with a blistering attack on Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party. The Prime Minister's next round of campaigning would be at Tumakuru on May 5.
Modi resumed his campaign in the state after a long break yesterday--the last rally he addressed was in February-- as he sought to give a big push to BJP's efforts to return to power in the state for a second time unseating the Congress. The Prime Minister is slated to address another 12 rallies over the next few days before Karnataka goes to poll on May 12. Firebrand Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will campaign in Karnataka on May 3, 4 and 5 and hold 11 public meetings, party sources said. On May 3, he will address public meetings at Sirsi, Sagar, Balehonnur, Belur and Honnalli. He will address meetings at Haliyala, Muddebihal, Mudhol, Teradala the next day, the sources said. On May 5, he will address election rallies at Sedan and Balki. He will also visit Balehonnur Math. Union minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari will hold public meetings at K R Pete, Srirangapattana, Nippani and Belagavi on May 3.
On May 4, Textiles Minister Smriti Irani will address public meetings at Navalgund, Naragund, Kundagol, Guledagudda in Badami and Hubballi. Rajnath Singh will address election rallies at Alanda, Afzalpur, Chittapur and Chincholi the next day, the sources said. BJP's national spokesperson Sambit Patra has also been roped-in for the election battle. He will hold a press conference tomorrow, the sources added.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Deve Gowda poured cold water on Modi's hopes of pre-poll alliance. Gowda insisted there was no possibility of his party tying up with the BJP ahead of the high stakes Karnataka assembly election. Distancing himself from the PM's statement, Deve Gowda said, "a Kannadiga had become the PM. How Siddaramaiah tried to demolish the Kannadigas pride, taking that as a background, he (PM Modi) said this is how Congress gives respect to Kannadigas, this does not mean a 'gathbandhan' (alliance)"
Here are the top 10 developments around Karnataka Assembly election 2018 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign, Siddaramaiah and Deve Gowda's campaign.
1) 'Yeddy-Reddy' combo aim to 'loot', 'plunder': The Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of getting B S Yeddyurappa's name "cleared" in corruption cases through the CBI and said the 'Yeddy-Reddy' combine was seeking to return to power to "loot" and "plunder" the state.
Congress leader Rajiv Shukla hit out at the BJP-led central government for "closing down" cases against Yeddyurappa, alleging that through its "puppet" CBI, the government was facilitating a clean chit for the BJP's chief ministerial candidate.
Shukla asked whether the prime minister and BJP President Amit Shah would explain "this sinister conspiracy to put a lid on 'loot of public money' and 'plundering of natural resources', as also the reason for giving 8 BJP tickets to 'Reddy Brothers and associates'?".
"The BJP has no moral right to talk about corruption as its chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa is facing all kinds of charges and whom the party had ousted a few years ago on corruption charges," he told reporters.
2) BJP accuses Congress of playing communal card: The BJP today accused the Congress of playing "communal card" in the poll-bound Karnataka to woo Muslim voters and claimed the state's chief electoral officer was not acting on its complaints, with a delegation of Union ministers moving the Election Commission demanding action against opposition leaders.
Union minister and former BJP president Nitin Gadkari led the delegation to the commission and told reporters later that they had provided "evidence" to back their charges against Congress leaders and state government officials to the election watchdog.
Gadkari alleged Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge in their campaign in a Muslim locality in the state sought the community's votes for their party in the name of Islam.
3) No BJP-JD(S) alliance: HD Deve Gowda today insisted there was no possibility of his party tying up with the BJP ahead of the high stakes Karnataka assembly election. Distancing himself from the PM's statement, Deve Gowda told ANI: "A Kannadiga had become the PM. How Siddaramaiah tried to demolish the Kannadigas pride, taking that as a background, he (PM Modi) said this is how Congress gives respect to Kannadigas, this does not mean a 'gathbandhan' (alliance)".
