Congress guarantee of ‘Garibi Hatao’ is its biggest fraud in history, says PM in poll-bound Karnataka

PTI, May 6, 2023, 7:50 PM IST

Haveri: Cautioning people of Karnataka against Congress’ guarantees’ ahead of Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called the promise of ‘Garibi Hatao’ announced by the party 50 years ago as its ”biggest fraud in the history”, which is still on.

He also said people across communities in Karnataka are angry about Congress’ ”abuses and lies” during the poll campaign, and would respond to it during voting on May 10.

”Congress people in Karnataka are spreading lies. All their lies have flown away in BJP’s storm. Those who feel that Congress still has something left, please come and see here (in Karnataka). Every citizen of Karnataka is aware of the Congress’ appeasement and ‘taalabandi’ (ban) policies,” Modi said.

Addressing a public meeting here, he said OBCs, Lingayats and all other communities are angry about abuses of Congress’ top leaders, and their anger has now turned into a resolve and a decision to bring BJP back to power with full majority in the state.

Noting that after Independence, Congress ruled both the country and state for decades, the Prime Minister said BJP’s ”double-engine” government under former CM B S Yediyurappa and incumbent Basavaraj Bommai’s leadership has been here for only three-and-half years.

He complimented the ”double-engine” government’s efforts for the development that happened in such a short span, especially in Haveri district.

Congress could have done developmental work during its tenure, but accomplished nothing, Modi said, adding Congress means total corruption, scam, 85 per cent commission, a party that surrenders before terror, that prioritises appeasement, and that believes in ”divide and rule” policy.

”Development cannot take place under Congress’ rule because it loots money,” he opined.

Suggesting that for long Congress’ practice has been to make false commitments and when people ask about fulfilling them on coming to power, they say a committee has been formed to look into it, Modi said, adding the party has been making several false guarantees in Karnataka.

”Have a look at their track record and find out how false their guarantees are and how they would have crossed the level of dishonesty,” he said, as he listed out Congress’ false guarantees in the party-ruled states like Himachal Pradesh.

Further cautioning that Congress will repeat the same thing in Karnataka, the Prime Minister said, ”Fifty years ago, the Congress had given its biggest guarantee of ‘garibi hatao’ (getting rid of poverty), the entire election was fought on this one guarantee by Congress, and it is their biggest fraud in the history, which is still going on.” ”You (people) have made this son of yours sit in Delhi, and I have lived in poverty and come here… Poverty has no difference of caste or religion,” he said mentioning the initiatives of his government for the welfare of poor.