Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a verbal attack against Union Minister M. Veerappa Moily and the former Chief Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, both of whom are contesting the Lok Sabha election from Chickballapur.
At a rally here, Mr. Modi said that in 2009, Mr. Moily had vowed in the name of goddess Bhuvaneshwari to complete all irrigation projects in the region within five years. But he did not fulfil his promise, he said. “ Ye aise log hai jo maa ki shapath lete hai aur dusri maa ki aarti utaarte hai ,” he said.
He said the situation was similar in Gujarat a decade ago, wherein about 900 villages were without water. There are not many rivers except the Narmada and Tapti in that State. “I promised to get them water, and now one of the longest water supply pipelines has been laid from the Narmada to Pakistan border to quench the thirst of village residents...,” Mr. Modi said.
He alleged that Mr. Moily neither worked for the people of Chickballapur nor did he do any work in the Ministry that he headed, except being “subservient” to 10 Janpath.
He had promised to set up 5,000 village courts as Law Minister, of which only 172 have been opened. He “failed miserably” as the Minister for Petroleum too. “He spent time counting gas cylinders. Ab nou karun, ya barah karun.Aurshehzadejigubbare udaate rahe .”
He asked the gathering would they send the one who did not fulfil his promises back to Parliament and got the reply “no”.
He said the BJP was committed to completing the project on interlinking major rivers in the country. It would also address the woes of sericulture farmers and weavers who were affected by the reduction in the import duty on silk yarn, he said, and added that the situation was similar in Chickballapur–Kolar region and Surat in Gujarat.
He came down heavily on the dynastic politics of the JD(S) and also criticised Mr. Kumaraswamy.
Chickballapur BJP candidate B.N. Bache Gowda said Mr. Modi decided on his own to campaign in this constituency after realising that two former Chief Ministers were in the fray. BJP candidate from the neighbouring Kolar constituency M. Narayanaswamy, Yelahanka MLA S.R. Vishwanath and actor Tara were among those present.
