PM Modi wants to become a dictator and control entire governance: Kharge

Mangaluru, Feb 17 (PTI) AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the Narendra Modi government should not be brought back to power at the Centre as he is leading the country to dictatorship.

The Prime Minister did not honour his promise of creating more jobs for the unemployed youth and depositing Rs 15 lakh to the bank accounts of all citizens, he said.

"Modi wants to become a dictator and control the entire governance including law enforcement agencies and the media," he alleged while speaking at the Congress workers' state-level convention on the outskirts of the city.

Launching the party's campaign for the Lok Sabha elections in the state, he said the Congress is confident of securing at least 20 seats in Karnataka. While the Congress fulfilled all the guarantees in its election manifesto in Karnataka, Modi went back on his words, Kharge said.

He further said Modi was always stressing on personal guarantees, while the Congress collectively refers to its promises as the party's guarantees. Unlike Modi, who promotes his personal image, the Congress gives thrust to the collective commitment of the party, he added.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also addressed the gathering of party workers, said the Congress is positioned to get a minimum of 20 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

Prime Minister Modi had not fulfilled any of the promises he made in the last 10 years, he said, and asked the people not to trust the BJP.

"The BJP manipulates emotions and exploits religious and caste divisions among the people. The people of the country had never witnessed the BJP’s promised 'Acche Din' in the last decade, whereas the Congress does not make false promises," Siddaramaiah said.

The Congress has delivered on all the five guarantees it presented before the people in the last Assembly elections in just eight months, while the BJP implemented only 60 out of 600 promises they made, the Chief Minister said.

Both Nalin Kumar Kateel and Shobha Karandlaje, the Lok Sabha MPs from the coastal region, had failed to get Central funds released for the state, he said and urged the voters to elect Congress candidates in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.

Deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar, in his speech, said the Congress has a glorious tradition in Mangaluru where veteran leaders like Janardhan Poojary and Veerappa Moily strengthened the grassroot level work of the party.

Shivakumar, who is also KPCC president, asked workers to approach the voters with confidence as the Congress has implemented its promises in the state. Dharmasthala dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade himself had said the number of devotees to Dharmasthala has increased due to the Congress guarantee of free bus travel to women and are offering prayers in the name of the Chief Minister, he added.

Shivakumar said Janata Dal(S) leader H D Deve Gowda, who once vowed to leave the country if the BJP wins, is now joining hands with the same party to save his son.

Calling for unity in the Congress, Shivakumar said all party workers should come together to achieve a massive victory for the party in the coming elections.

AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala also spoke.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwar, Dakshina Kannada district-in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Ashok Kumar Rai, MLA, B K Hariprasad, MLC, KPCC working president Salem Ahmed, state ministers K H Muniyappa, R V Deshpande, K J George, Laxmi Hebbalkar, former MLAs Ramanath Rai and Vinay Kumar Sorake and DCC president Harish Kumar MLC were present. PTI