Clarify if you are helping BJP: Rahul to JD(S)

‘We have an ideology that unites society; BJP’s ideology divides society; and, Janata Dal (Secular) has no ideology’

Congress president Rahul Gandhi with the Janata Dal (Secular) leaders who joined the party in Mysuru on Sunday

A day after dubbing the Janata Dal (Secular) as the ‘Janata Dal Sangh Parivar’, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday stepped up his attack on the party by asking its leaders to clarify if they were helping the BJP or not.

Addressing a gathering in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s native Mysuru, the last rally during his two-day tour of Old Mysuru region, Mr. Gandhi said that the JD(S) does not have any ideology.

He said the ensuing elections were a fight between ideologies.

“On one side, there is an ideology (of the Congress), which is for uniting the society. On the other, there is an ideology (of the BJP) that divides the people. The JD(S) has no ideology,” Mr. Gandhi said.

Referring to the scams, involving Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya, Mr. Gandhi sought to caution the people that more such frauds will come out in the open in the coming months.

While Mr. Mallya left the country after allegedly committing a fraud of ₹8,000 crore, Mr. Nirav Modi allegedly embezzled ₹22,000 crore and fled the country.

“This is just the beginning. More such frauds will be unearthed in the coming days,” he said.

While these businessmen fled the country after stealing the money, the “chowkidar” was merely watching, Mr. Gandhi said in an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had described himself as the country’s “chowkidar” during an election rally.

He accused Mr. Modi of ruining the entire banking system in the country.

He alleged that the BJP came to power on the basis of false promises, one of which was generating 2 crore jobs every year.

“Four years after Mr Modi made the promise, the country finds itself facing the highest rate of unemployment in the last eight years.”

Mr. Gandhi began his address by recalling the contribution of 18th century warrior king Tipu Sultan, poet laureate Kuvempu and Sir M. Visvesvaraya to the region.

He also paid tributes to K.S. Puttannaiah, the farmers’ leader and MLA who passed away recently.

Mr. Gandhi welcomed the former JD(S) leaders, M.C. Nanaiah, Zameer Ahmed Khan, N. Cheluvarayaswamy, Akhanda Srinivas, Ramesh Bandisidde Gowda, H.C. Balakrishna, and Iqbal Ansari, into the party. The former legislator A.R. Krishnamurthy, who was in the BJP, also joined the party.

Before arriving at Maharaja’s College grounds, the venue for the rally, Mr. Gandhi participated in a road show in Mysuru.