Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah on Monday slammed BJP leader and its chief ministerial face B S Yeddyurappa for advising people to “tie non-voters” and bring them to vote in favour of the saffron party. Calling it a “‘gundagardi’ element in Yeddyurappa,” Siddarmaiah said, “Can anybody be dragged to a polling booth? It’s all a fake campaign by him,” ANI reported
BJP leader Yeddyurappa, while campaigning in Belagavi on Saturday, had said, “Don’t rest now. If you think that somebody isn’t voting, go to their homes, tie up their hands and legs and bring them to vote in favour of Mahantesh Doddagoudar (BJP candidate from Kittur).”
The Congress accused the former chief minister of “threatening voters in frustration”. “A defeatist BJP facing rejection at the hands of Kannadigas is threatening voters in frustration. Mr. Yeddyurappa, insulting democracy and intimidating voters will trounce the BJP decisively,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala wrote on Twitter.
With the elections just a week away, the political campaigning has gained heat in the state. CM Siddaramaiah took to Twitter to list 5 reasons on why voters should not elect Yeddyurappa in the upcoming polls. “BJP has no respect for freedom: freedom to live the life the way people want. Once in power they will impose a dress code, a food code, & a code on who you can love. Above all they will impose Hindi over Kannada. .BJP has no commitment to peace. If in power they will unleash communal elements on streets. Incidents like the church attack, pub attack will come back. Cow vigilantes will be on streets. This is neither good for life nor for business. With disrupted business jobs will go,” he wrote on Twitter.
Former prime minsiter Manmohan Singh also lashed out at BJP over its “disastrous policies.” “The intentions of the Modi government are not good. The GDP has plunged to a great extent,” he said while addressing a press conference in Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi in his address to the youth leaders of the party said, “The enthusiasm that I am witnessing in Karnataka polls shows the interest of people in the elections. The youth of Karnataka has proved themselves in every field.” During his rallies in the state in the last week, Modi fired a barrage of barbs at the Congress party. “Congress does not care about ‘Dil’ (people’s hearts and feelings) or Dalits. They only care about deals,” he said, while addressing a public gathering in Chitradurga. He also accused the Rahul Gandhi-led party of humiliating Dr BR Amebdkar. “The arrogance of Congress party is at its peak, a Dalit mother’s child, raised in a village became the President (Ram Nath Kovind), and it should have been their responsibility to make a courtesy call, but they did not like it. It has been a year, but Madam Soniaji did not get time to make a courtesy call to the President, his Prince (Rahul Gandhi) met the President seven months later and that too to hand over a memorandum,” Modi said.
