‘Return of Modi in 2024 LS polls will result in dictatorship’: Kharge tells Congress workers in BJP bastion Mangalore

“Their (BJP’s) target is not to achieve the goals of the Constitution and democracy but to take as much control of the country as possible. They want to control all autonomous bodies — the media, the judiciary, the Enforcement Directorate, the Income Tax and the vigilance department,” he said.

“By gaining control of all institutions, he (Modi) is setting out to rule the country. Do not strengthen him. We have taken steps for development in the past and we will do it now and even in the future as well. We will do better than them,” the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president said while imploring the Congress workers to sway the minds of an electorate that is heavily tilted towards the BJP.

The Congress chief said that the people of the coastal region of Mangalore and Udupi have forgotten Congress, which had provided land rights to the poor, free education, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and Food Security and are dancing to the tunes of the BJP.

“Now I see that people roam around with the bhagwa (saffron) flag. You must remember your past, the situation your fathers and mothers were in, who had made you owners of land. If you do not remember these things, then there is no future for the country,” the AICC president said.

“After benefitting from the Congress party in food policies, the MGNREGA scheme, land reforms and education, we were forgotten. Some parties have broken us and broken the backward communities, the tenants, the poor and have ventured to govern forever. Modi has ventured to do this and we are hearing slogans in his praise,” Kharge said.

“Did Modi give land? Did Modi provide food security? What did Modi say? He said he would give two crore jobs every year. If you have not got jobs, why are so many BJP flags flying here? He said everyone would get Rs 15 lakh, did anyone receive the same? If you have not received it, either you are lying or Modi is lying,” Kharge said.

“We have done what we have promised. What we have promised we have budgeted and carried out. The one who has not kept his promise is being praised. Do stomachs get filled by praising Modi who has neither filled stomachs nor given jobs?” he said.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said the people of Mangalore and Udupi must not elect Nalin Kumar Kateel and Shobha Karandlaje of the BJP again since they have failed to raise the issues of the state in Parliament as representatives of the people.

“Have they spoken even once on behalf of the state? Should they be elected again? If you have self-respect as people of Karnataka, if you have pride, you must not elect them. There were 25 elected BJP MPs from Karnataka but they never spoke a word about the state in Parliament,” Siddaramaiah said.

Karnataka Congress president and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said that it would not be possible for Modi to win 370 seats in the Lok Sabha polls as claimed.

“Prime Minister Modi may say he will win 370 seats but that is not possible. Rahul Gandhi is doing yatra across the country and the country is looking for new leadership. Mallikarjuna Kharge from Karnataka is sitting on the same chair which was once occupied by Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. Let all of us go from village to village and mobilise the organisation. I am confident that the INDIA bloc will come to power,” Shivakumar said.