Narendra Modi says Congress created debt-ridden Karnataka

Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held the Congress responsible for creating a "debt-ridden" Karnataka while accusing the it of functioning only on "commissions and bribes".

"The Karnataka government is a 'seedha rupaiah sarkar' (straight money government). Every single job in the state gets done only with money, commissions and bribes. Congress has created a debt-ridden Karnataka," he alleged at a rally in Ballari city in the rich mining district of Ballari.

In his 40-minute speech in Hindi, which was simultaneously translated into Kannada, to hundreds of people, Modi pointed to the "rising" illegal mining in the state.

"The illegal mining in the state is rising and on the other hand, Congress government in Karnataka could not even frame a strong mining policy," he claimed.

The Siddaramaiah-led government could not even ensure proper water supply in the state, for drinking and cultivation, the Prime Minister alleged, while accusing the Congress of speaking of Dalits and other backward classes only for the sake of votes.

"The Congress is doing vote-bank politics and dividing people on the grounds of caste. The party is insensitive towards tribal communities and the OBCs," he said.

The Karnataka government, which "is in sleep mode", didn't even utilise the funds allocated by the central government for the state properly, Modi said. Modi, who is campaigning for the BJP in the poll-bound state for the second day, will later address a rally in Bengaluru.

Edited by mid-day online desk, with inputs from IANS

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