I'm kaamdaar, not naamdaar, says PM Modi

Santemaranahalli/Udupi/Belagavi (Kar): The Congress has initiated the culture of “ease of doing murder”, in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, and mounted an all out assault on the party over alleged “loot” of banks and neglect of farmers and youth.

Modi, who has powered the BJP to electoral triumphs in many states after assuming office in 2014, addressed three back to back election rallies in the state where most pollsters have predicted a hung Assembly, with the JD(S) playing the role of the kingmaker. 

Dexterously playing the Hindutva card, Modi claimed over two dozen BJP workers were killed under the Congress government in Karnataka in political violence.

“We want to encourage the ease of doing business, they (the Congress) have initiated the culture of ease of doing murder,” he told another election rally in Udupi.

“The earlier Congress governments allowed a handful of people to loot banks, but denied loans to the youth, farmer, the poor,” he said.

The prime minister began his campaign from Santemaranahalli, where he challenged Gandhi to “to speak in any language” for 15 minutes about the achievements of Karnataka's Siddaramaiah government without referring to a piece of paper.

“I dare the Congress president to speak in Hindi, English or the mother tongue of his mother to deliver a speech in Karnataka for 15 minutes, without reading out from a piece of paper, on the achievements of the party government... people of Karnataka will draw their own conclusion,” he said.

“His speaking for 15 minutes will itself is a big thing. And when I hear that I would not be able to sit, I think...wow, what a scene it is? Congress president, Sir, we cannot sit before you. You are 'naamdar' (famous), while I am 'kaamdar' (ordinary worker). We have no status to sit in front of you,” he said.