Karnataka: On Kharge’s turf, Modi makes ‘Vikas’ pitch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday made a big development pitch in the backward Kalyana Karnataka region - Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s turf - and slammed previous governments for “vote bank” politics.

The Kalyana Karnataka region has over 40 Assembly constituencies.

At Malkhed in Sedam taluk of Kalaburagi, Modi addressed a mammoth convention of the Lambani/Banjara community to mark the distribution of title deeds to 52,072 households.

“Earlier governments never thought of changing their lives, except to use them as mere vote bank,” Modi said.

Modi said his government’s ‘Sab Ka Saath, Sabka Ka Vikas’ was in line with Basavanna’s ideals and that the “double-engine” government is functioning on this basic principle to provide social justice.

“Time has come for the Lambani people, who have contributed majorly in national growth, to live a respectful life. Ownership rights on their houses will assure a prosperous career for them,” Modi said, hailing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s government for the “significant decision” of converting Lambani Thandas into revenue villages.

According to ownership rights to the Thandas was proposed in 1993, Modi said. “Banjaras had to struggle and wait three decades for their demand to be fulfilled,” he said, assuring them that drinking water, electricity and toilets in the Thandas would be fast-tracked. “Banjaras were outside the ambit of government facilities. Now, all government schemes will reach them.”

Earlier, Modi visited the Kodekal village in Yadgir district where he inaugurated projects worth Rs 10,863 crore. The “double-engine” government has big plans for the development of the Kalyana Karnataka region, the PM promised.

“Although Yadgir had the capabilities, the previous government only indulged in politics based on caste, religion and vote bank. They did not pay heed to basic infrastructure like electricity, roadways and water,” Modi charged.

“However, our government is committed to the development of the backward districts and the result of this is that Yadgir is now in the top 10 among 112 aspirational districts of India,” he said, adding that the next 25 years would be ‘Amrut Kaal’ for such backward districts.

NLBC modernisation

At Kodekal, Modi opened the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system of the Narayanpur Left Bank Canal (NLBC), laid the foundation stone for a Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) drinking water project and six-laning of NH-150 (C) connecting Chennai-Surat economic corridor.

Quoting a study, Modi said JJM helped India save 1.25 lakh infants every year. “Before 2014, only three crore rural homes had piped water connection. In the last 3.5 years, our government has provided water connection to eight crore houses in villages. Of them, 35 lakh are in Karnataka,” Modi said.

Stressing water security, Modi said his government is committed to supply water to parched lands through river linking and improving the groundwater table.

Modi said NLBC modernisation would help farmers in the tail-end regions of Yadgir, Kalaburagi and Vijayapura get sufficient water all through the year, Modi said, thanking Tur farmers of the region for reducing India’s import dependence on Tur.

India’s pulse farmers, he said, received Rs 60,000 crore in the last eight years “compared to a few hundred crores before 2014.”