“This election is a fight between the continuing lies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who promised ‘achhe din’ but failed to act according to his word, and the Congress which has always delivered what it has promised,” former Minister H.K. Patil has said.
Considered the face of the Congress in Bombay Karnataka, Mr. Patil has been the voice of north Karnataka on several issues.
A leader born out of the cooperative movement, Mr. Patil now heads the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) campaign committee now.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Patil spoke on the changed political scenario, present elections, prospects of the Congress, and other issues.
According to Mr. Patil, as the credibility of Mr. Modi had eroded because of his lies, he had now shifted to a rhetoric on emotional issues and national security.
“On one hand there is the truth and honest efforts to meet the aspirations of people and address their issues. On the other hand there are lies, publicity, money power and emotional issues and even attempts to create anarchy for the sake of power,” he said.
Biased media
He believes that except for a few media houses, many of them have become biased.
“As Mr. Modi and his team have failed to deliver on their promises, attempts are being made to create anarchy in order to grab power at any cost. Comments by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, and Vice-Chairman of Niti Ayog Rajiv Kumar are indications of the same,” he said.
Mr. Patil said that ever since Mr. Modi took over, government interference in constitutional and democratic institutions has increased.
“What has happened to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The Supreme Court even rapped the government for its handling of the CBI. Judges of the SC even came out in the open to address a press conference on the functioning of the supreme legal institution in the country,” he said.
The Congress, according to him, has placed a scientific manifesto before the electorate and has made attempts to present before the people the corruption of BJP and cheating by its leaders.
‘Congress countering’
“We know how social media has been used to influence minds by feeding distorted and false information. We are countering and have managed to convince 60% of the electorate on the falsehood of BJP. With each passing day, the lies of Mr. Modi are getting exposed,” he said.
Terming the efforts to project Mr. Modi as the saviour of modern India as ‘ridiculous’, Mr. Patil said that the Congress efforts are helping people to know the real picture and the party is better placed to win more seats in the Sthan before.
