BJP returning to power in Karnataka with thumping majority: PM Modi ahead of polls

"With the blessings of the people of Karnataka, it is certain that the double-engine government will come back with a thumping majority. If you see all the surveys, then it will be known whose victory is certain. It is not becoming visible," PM Modi said addressing a public rally in poll-bound Karnataka.

He made these comments in the light of several poll surveys broadcast in Kannada news channels that mostly predicted the BJP's win with a thumping majority.

Speaking on the Congress' complaint to the Election Commission against him for chanting Bajrang Bali ki Jai, PM Modi said the grand old party has now started objecting to it because it has become a slave appeasement and vote bank politics, and such a party can never do any good to Karnataka.

Launching an indirect tirade against the Gandhi family, PM Modi said there was no deal without commission when Congress was in power, but it is the BJP government that is setting up modern defense factories in the country and empowering the country's army.

"The BJP government is working on many projects including HAL's helicopter factory in Tumkur," he said.

Targeting Congress and JDS, PM Modi said every candidate of the JDS is a candidate of Congress, and every vote given to JDS will stop investment in Karnataka, while BJP's resolve is to make Karnataka the No.1 state.

He also said the people of Karnataka have understood the game of Congress and JDS. "A vote to JDS will make Karnataka weak and unstable and a weak government can never build a strong Karnataka, " he said.

Modi said the Congress and JDS governments never showed seriousness regarding the Upper Bhadra Project, but BJP is fulfilling their long-pending demand.

"In this year's budget, Rs 5,000 crore has been provisioned for the Upper Bhadra Project," he said.

Modi said the track record of Congress-JDS is that under their rule, the maximum loot is of the money due to the village. But when the BJP is in government, the village and the poor progress at a fast pace, he said.

"Today 9 crore women in the country have joined the Self Help Group and the BJP government has assured help of up to Rs 20 lakh without guarantee," he said.

Modi said the ruling party has also connected about 2 lakh gram panchayats with optical fiber. "In the last 9 years, our government has built about 4 crore pucca houses for the poor. Out of these, more than 3 crore houses have been built in the village and most of the ownership rights have been given to women," he said.

"So that the farmers are not burdened by the expensive fertilizer, the BJP government buys it from around the world at Rs 50 per kg, and gives it to the farmers at only Rs 5," the PM added.

Modi said today health and wellness centers are being opened in every village for health services, and roads are reaching every village under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana.

"Here in Tumakuru also, the farmers have benefited from the formation of a food park and the youth here have also got employment," he said.

Modi said around 18,000 villages of the country did not have electricity and were living in the 18th century, therefore he resolved to give them electricity in 1000 days. "We were able to accomplish it in 1000 days," he said.

"We have been continually taking decisions in favour of copra farmers. For this season, we have again increased the MSP of Copra. The Congress government was not able to implement the MSP. They kept ignoring the demands of the farmers," the PM added.

Karnataka goes to poll on May 10 and the results will be out on May 13.

[With UNI inputs]