In polarised coastal Karnataka, Amit Shah says a Cong govt would reverse PFI ban, anti-conversion law

“If there is a double engine government under PM Modi, there will be a reverse gear government under Rahul Gandhi. Do you need a double engine or reverse gear government?” he said, during the campaign at Udupi.

Shah also described Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s campaign in the state as “electoral tourism”. “They feel that once a Congress government is formed, Karnataka can once again be transformed into an ATM. The ‘reverse gear’ government will make Karnataka an ATM again,” he said.

The Union Home Minister added that the Modi government had banned the PFI as a counter to the murder of BJP youth worker Praveen Nettaru, allegedly by the outfit. “I cannot get back the life of Praveen Nettaru, I know that. However the Modi government banned the PFI to which the assailants belonged,” Shah said. “The Karnataka government sent 92 activists of the PFI to jail.”

Accusing the Congress of “vote-bank politics”, Shah said it has “always supported the PFI”, and did not conduct investigation into dozens of cases properly. “Whenever the Congress is in power, cases against the PFI are withdrawn. The Siddaramaiah government withdrew cases against the PFI… For the sake of a vote bank, the Congress can abandon the security of the country. The BJP does not believe in vote bank politics, and we have banned the PFI to keep South India safe… We have given dozens of cases to the NIA to send terrorists to jail.”

Shah also referred to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s “poisonous snake” jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the party was “laying the ground” for a BJP victory. “Whenever Modiji has been abused, the BJP has become stronger.”

#KarnatakaAssemblyElections2023 | PM Modi is like a 'poisonous snake', you might think it’s poison or not. If you lick it, you’re dead…: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge in Kalaburagi pic.twitter.com/Bqi7zVFnO9

— ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023

The Congress “guarantees” to voters (of free power, grants to women heads of households, unemployment safeguard, rice to BPL families and free bus travel for women) would draw a blank in the polls.

“The Congress gave guarantee cards in Assam and Tripura too, but got no seats. Guarantee cards were given in Manipur and its slate was clean again, in UP too, it was done but the Congress could not be seen even with a pair of binoculars,” Shah quipped.

“When there is no guarantee of the Congress, how can people believe its guarantees? The Congress guarantees are of corruption, appeasement, the PFI, dynastic politics and insecurity in the country,” he said.