JD(S) a ‘private limited party’ of a family, says Modi attacking Deve Gowda-led party in latter’s home turf

PTI, Apr 30, 2023, 6:58 PM IST

Beluru: Targeting both Congress and JD(S) in poll-bound Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called the parties a “sign of instability”, and cautioned the people that they can’t afford to give the state’s fortune into their hands.

Calling JD(S) the ‘B-team’ of Congress, he said Congress and its leaders’ main aim is to serve a family sitting in Delhi, while JD(S) is completely a “private limited party of a family”.

“This time, Karnataka has decided to end the decades of ‘jod-thod’ (coalition) politics. Congress and JD(S) both are signs of instability. In whichever states Congress governments are remaining, its identity there is because of rivalry between its leaders. You (people) are too seeing what is happening in Rajasthan and Chattisgarh,” Modi said.

Addressing a public meeting here in Hassan district, he said “People in those states are fed up, development has come to a halt. All the poll guarantees of Congress have become its bundle of lies. There are internal rifts within the Congress.”

Hassan is the home district of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and is a JD(S) bastion. JD(S) had won six out of seven Assembly seats in the district in 2018, while BJP had won one (Hassan segment) making the saffron party’s first win in the Vokkaliga-dominated district in the recent past.

Noting that Congress’ ‘B-team’ JD(S) is “dreaming”, the Prime Minister said it wants to somehow win 15-20 seats, and wants a share in the “loot”.

“In Karnataka, Congress and JD(S) are showing off that they are opponents. You can look at the statements of Congress and JD(S) leaders, ahead of the 2018 Assembly polls, they were abusing each other, and the election results were about to be announced, they had joined hands. Such showoff fights continue between Congress and JD(S) like WWF (wrestling entertainment)…even in Parliament, on every issue JD(S) and Congress are together,” he said.

Every vote you cast in favour of JD(S) will go into Congress’ account, Modi charged, adding that voting for Congress means putting a “break” to Karnataka’s development.

“Voting for Congress also means putting Karnataka on a reverse gear. Karnataka can’t afford to give its fortune into the hands of Congress and JD(S) at any cost,” he said.

Stating that there is one more “unique” connection between Congress and JD(S), the Prime Minister said: “Karnataka Congress will have to serve the family sitting in Delhi for 24 hours (round-the-clock), from selection of candidates to selection of CM, whatever the decision is, ask the Delhi family first. Only those who surrender before the family can survive in Congress.”

“On the other hand, there is a party in Karnataka — the JD(S) — which is completely a private limited party of a family. The big faces of this family will put their entire strength in securing their families. Many headlines relating to the party will be about which member of the family has an upper hand, and not about what is their agenda for the people,” he said, ridiculing the Deve Gowda-led outfit.

While one party unit in Karnataka (Congress) is indulging in serving a family in Delhi, the other party itself belongs to a family, Modi said. In such a situation, BJP is the only party that considers every common family of the state as its own.

“BJP thinks about your family and cares for it…,” he added.