In rural heartland, Modi calls Rahul 'RTI Shehzada'

UPA govt is 'deaf, dumb, corrupt', thunders BJP's PM nominee

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, carries the image of a corporate poster boy.

 But when he arrived on Tuesday in Koppal, arguably the most backward district in Karnataka, he managed to engage a cross-section of villagers in conversation on such issues as rural development and the UPA’s scams. 

Although a Congress bastion, Koppal is currently represented by a BJP MP. In an effort to retain the seat and give an edge to its candidate, Karadi Sanganna, the BJP brought Modi to the constituency. In this rural heartland, Modi got the attention as well as the applauses, thanks to good arrangements. 

The gathering at the rally comprised mainly of Modi’s fans and the crowd ferried by the BJP. They jostled in the scorching sun for a glimpse of him as he landed at a helipad adjacent to the venue, about four km from the town. 

Paeans to Modi in Kannada played in the background as Modi reached the venue. His arrival from the helipad to the dais was covered live on the life-size LED screens. The coverage continued without technical glitches until he left in the helicopter for Bagalkot at 2.15 pm. “En stylri sarra… heng adaari nodri…” (What a style! Look at him) was the refrain among the crowd. 

Accompanied by Sanganna and the BJP’s Bellary candidate B Sriramulu on the stage, Modi wasted no time. After apologising for being late, he launched his one-liners and jibes at the Congress in chaste Hindi. Calling Rahul Gandhi the ‘RTI Shehzada’, he asked the crowd whether the RTI filled their pockets or improved their living standards. The answer was a loud ‘no’. 

“You don’t keep coal under lock and key in your house, do you? So, the Delhi (Union) government has stolen the coal. The RTI Shehzada even stole toilets. By talking about the RTI, he is only mocking the poor,” Modi thundered. 

Remunerative prices

Calling the ‘Dilli government’ “gungi behri” (deaf and dumb) and “khanevali” (corrupt), he alleged that farmers in the Tungabhadra basin had stopped tilling their land because they neither had fertiliser and seeds nor got remunerative prices. “Give me 300 Lotuses (BJP MPs) and I assure you I will fulfill my promises to you,” he said. 

But did the people of Koppal connect to Modi? Nagaraj and Vinod Kumar, who work at a steel plant in Ginigera, a village in Koppal taluk, told this reporter: “We know a lot about Modi because of TV and newspapers. He has no family to turn greedy. We want the Gujarat model of governance. He will create jobs for youngsters like us. We will not be discriminated against on caste lines.” 

When asked whether they know what is the Gujarat model, they replied in the negative. 

But both are sure that Siddaramaiah would never be the prime minister and hence Modi was a better choice. 

They, however, were not voicing the sentiments of voters in remote villages who still believe they are voting for ‘Indiramma.’