Karnataka will become 'ATM of families' if Congress or JD(S) are elected: Amit Shah

'Due to the undue loyalty towards the particular families, these two parties indulge in corruption and loot the state, leaving the people helpless,' Shah said

Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah condemned the Congress and the JD(S) as "parivarvaadi, brastachari and komuvaadi" parties, and said that if either party comes to power, Karnataka would become an "ATM for particular families."

"Due to the undue loyalty towards the particular families, these two parties indulge in corruption and loot the state, leaving the people helpless. These parties have done nothing for the oppressed and poor people. But, we have been striving for the welfare of all sections of the society. When we got a chance, we gave Ramnath Kovind from the SC communities and Droupadi Murmu from the ST community as the Presidents of India," Shah said, while addressing the Jana Sankalpa Yatra of the BJP, a part of the party's campaign for the upcoming Assembly election, in Mandya.

"If either Congress or JD(S) is elected to form the government in Karnataka, the state will become an ATM for the particular families at the helm of affairs," he said.

Amit Shah listed the contributions and achievements of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, particularly for Mysuru region, and appealed to the people to strengthen the hands of the BJP and Modi to catapult India to the number one place in the world by 2047, when the nation celebrates centenary of independence.

"Facilitating administration of 230 crore doses of the Covid vaccination is a notable achievement in the entire world. While Modi provided Rs 6,000 to farmers per year, under Raitha Samman Yoajna, former chief minister B S Yediyurappa added Rs 4,000 to it to help the farmers with a total of Rs 10,000 per year, directly in their bank accounts. Fifty lakh farmers have been benefitted under Raitha Samman scheme in Karnataka alone," he said.

"The Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway and Bengaluru-Hyderabad Expressway projects would not have materialised if not for the BJP governments at both Centre and state. The double-laning of the Bengaluru-Mysuru railway line, its electrification, and introduction of Vande Bharat train were the gifts of the BJP for the people of the Mysuru region. The revival of the Mysuru Sugar (MySugar) Company in Mandya under the government management is a significant move following a long-pending demand of farmers. In the last three years, chief ministers Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai have give over Rs 13,000 crore for agriculture and farmers. Karnataka has also attracted an investment of Rs 2.80 lakh crore from industries over the same period, due to good administration," Shah said.

"Repeal of Article 370 was necessary as Kashmir is an integral part of India. Ban on PFI was required as it was encouraging and causing terrorist activities. But Siddaramaiah of the Congress withdrew hundreds of cases against PFI members, encouraging fundamentalists, when he was chief minister," he said.

Invoking the Ayodhya Ram Temple issue, Shah asked the audience if the temple was needed or not. "Since the days of Babur, the Ram Temple at Ayodhya was crying for attention. Later it became a legal issue. Finally it was solved and the works started in 2019. It will be opened on January 1, 2024, and those who wish to visit the temple can reserve their travel tickets. Similarly Modi facilitated the development of Kashi and Kedarnath," Shah said.