With Modi’s Speech Karnataka will not become Number One State – Veerappa Moily
Mangaluru: “The election date is nearing and the campaign is going on well. The forthcoming Assembly Election is for a change. There should be a change in governance. Change should come in Karnataka first because such a situation has not come anywhere in the country. When Yediyurappa was the Chief Minister, his government was the most corrupt and he proved that one could take bribes through cheques. Yediyurappa created history by taking bribes through cheques. Yediyurappa was arrested in a corruption case with evidence. Yediyurappa is the master of corruption and BJP is using him to fight the elections. CM Bommai is sidelined and the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister Amit Shah are campaigning in Karnataka. The Prime Minister has created history by campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly Elections. They are afraid that they will lose the elections in Karnataka. If they are sure of winning the elections, Modi and Shah wouldn’t have campaigned in Karnataka. With Modi’s speeches, Karnataka will not become the number state in the country”, said former Finance Minister Veerappa Moily during a press meeting held at the Congress Bhavan, Mallikatta here on May 4.
Addressing the media persons, Veerappa Moily said, “Will any home minister, in any situation, threaten voters to vote for BJP saying, “If anyone votes for Congress, there will be Communal Riots”? It is against democracy. He is ruling as a dictator. What else we can expect from him? When he was the Home Minister in Gujarat, he was expelled and after the BJP government came to power in Gujarat, his crimes were pardoned. When I did some research, I found that there is an organization called PUW which did a survey in which 50% of the people said that India is like Afghanistan and Pakistan and asked for military rule in India. Modi and Amit Shah have played with the sentiments of the people. PUW survey also says that high network people want to leave this country and migrate to other countries in search of jobs, education, health and to lead a peaceful life. In India, there is no chance to live in peace. And all this is happening during the time of Modi and Amit Shah and not during the time of Indira Gandhi or Jawaharlal Nehru”.
Moily further said, “3 lakh jobs would have been created in Karnataka if HAL would have built the Rafale fighters in India had the government managed to close the original negotiations with Dassault. MRPL and Vijayanagar Steel Company started during Congress’ tenure and created jobs. ITPL created lakhs of jobs. The Almatti Dam project on the Krishna River in North Karnataka was 100% constructed by Congress. BJP talks about our guarantees but by taking 40% commission lost 1.25 lakh crores; if we stop this 40% commission, we can earn 50 to 60000 crores. We need to curb corruption. When Congress was in power, we had curbed corruption. As a finance minister and CM, when the crude oil price was high, we gave 35 lakh crores subsidy. But the BJP has put reverse gear by collecting 38 lakh crore CESS and Tax on Petroleum products for 9 years. We had spent Rs 6000 crores to bring a gas pipeline from Maharashtra to Bengaluru. But BJP did not spend anything to extend a kilometre of the gas pipeline.”
“Our blueprint was to make our country self-sufficient in oil and prevent all imports by 2030, but the BJP did not take any measures to do this. In the double-engine government, the Bengaluru engine has failed and the people of Karnataka are ready to send the first engine to scrap. The PM has not called any press meetings for the past 9 years. Congress brought the Lokpal to prevent corruption but the BJP abolished it.”
“The people of Karnataka are tolerant and Modi and Amit Shah are testing our patience. BJP has the impression that they can come to power by lying to the people.”
“BJP has lost 18 elections even after putting all its efforts in West Bengal, Madya Pradesh, Andra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Bihar. BJP has the habit of stealing the government; they toppled the government in Maharashtra. They are destroying all institutions including the judiciary and the supreme court, all have fear and cannot carry out their work. There is gross abuse of institutions and we want to rescue them. I hope that in the forthcoming elections, Congress will win with a clear mandate and form the government.”
District Congress President Harish Kumar, AICC Spokesperson Charan Singh Sapra, MLC Manjunath Bhandary, former MLC Ivan D’Souza and others were also present.
