Lok Sabha Elections 2024: I.N.D.I.A. alliance encouraging divisive forces, says BJP's Nadda

Shivamogga: BJP national president J P Nadda, on Tuesday, accused the Congress of creating and encouraging divisive forces, even as the country was becoming stronger under the leadership of PM Modi.

He was addressing the gathering at a convention of the BJP’s professionals’ cell to campaign for the party’s Shimoga candidate B Y Raghavendra for Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP chief said the I.N.D.I.A. alliance does not have a proper direction in mind for the future of the country. That is why, they stoke separatist passions like north and south India. 

“PM Modi goes by the slogan ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikaas’. But in Karnataka, CM Siddaramaiah encourages divisive forces. He said India has always valued regional diversities,” the BJP president said.

“In the Constitution, it is very clear that there is no place for religious reservation, but what did they (Congress) do? Four per cent reservation to Muslims, from within the OBC quota (in Karnataka). Who is against OBCs? They are neither friends of Muslim brethren nor sympathisers of OBC,” Nadda said.

In undivided Andhra Pradesh, Congress came out with a law four times, where they tried to take reservation of SC/ST and OBCs, to give it to the Muslim community.

“We are not against the Muslim community, but we have to understand that the Constitution clearly says that there will be no reservation based on religion, and it is a very deep thought. But these people (Congress), the kind of vicious and divisive designs they have. Are we going to support them,” he asked.

Addressing an election rally after a roadshow at Byadgi in Haveri district, he said, Congress means corruption and commission, while the INDIA bloc is an alliance to save dynasts and corrupt.

He questioned whether the INDI Alliance had any prime ministerial candidate.

“What is INDI Alliance? (We say) our leader Modi ji will become the prime minister (if BJP comes to power) and INDI alliance says they will have five prime ministers in five years (if they come to power),” Nadda said.

“Who is their (INDIA bloc) prime ministerial candidate? Do they have any leader like Narendra Modi, who can tackle situations like COVID?,” he said campaigning for former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, the Haveri candidate. 

“INDI Alliance is just for power, they don’t have anything to do with you. The INDI alliance is for two reasons - ‘Pariwarwad bachao’ (save dynasts) and ‘Brashtachariyonko bachao’ (save the corrupt). They don’t have any other work,” he said.

Nadda said, “They are all corrupt. D K Shivakumar (deputy CM) was involved in a scam or not? Are not Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, P Chidambaram, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Shivakumar out on bail?”

Listing out INDI alliance leaders who are in jail, including Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, he said, “All these people are either on bail or in jail.” People showered flower petals as his cavalcade passed. 

The BJP visited Kaginele Kanaka Guru Peetha and met Niranjanananda Puri Swami.