Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday charged the JD(S)-Congress government with being interested only in “development-free corruption”. The crop loan waiver scheme of the coalition was a cruel joke on farmers, he said.
Interacting with booth-level workers of the districts of Belagavi, Bidar, Haveri, Dharwad and Davangere via video conferencing, Modi said it seemed that the coalition government was in power “only to play musical chair”.
Modi said those in power think that just because they had formed a government “by hook or crook,” they can get away with anything, but people would soon teach them a lesson for misgovernance.
“People want corruption-free government, but Karnataka government wants development-free corruption,” Modi said.
The prime minister told party workers that when those in power were not interested in the welfare of people, it is their duty to become “the voice of the people”.
Attacking the state government over its crop loan waiver scheme, he said it would go down as one of the most cruel jokes on farmers. “After six months in power, there are reports that only a handful of farmers have benefited so far,” he said.
On the spate of farmer suicides, Modi accused the state government of being “steeped in arrogance”.
“These people go around the country claiming credit for what they have done for farmers. Will they also take credit for the farmers committing suicide in Karnataka?” Modi said.
He also attacked the government over 52 people, including 17 women and 4 children, reportedly being subjected to bonded labour in Hassan district, calling it inhuman.
During the interaction that lasted around 30 minutes, Modi also talked about a slew of initiatives of his government to help micro, small and medium enterprises and the youth, by following the principle of four 'Es' - education, employment, entrepreneurship and excellence.
He said during the last four years of NDA regime, the number of undergraduate medical seats increased from 50,000 in 2013-14 to 70,000 now. Post graduate seats went up from 25,000 in 2013-14 to 33,000.
Modi said the tourism industry can grow further with the help of 3Ts – tradition, talent and trade. He said there was a need to educate people about the potential the tourism sector has, to improve local trade and promote cultural traditions.