Modi plays Mahadayi card, pitches for amicable settlement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday parried the Mahadayi ball to the Congress' court during an election campaign rally of the party candidates at Thontadarya Engineering College grounds here.

"The Congress has played politics over Mahadayi river water-sharing issue. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is not aware of what the then AICC chairperson Sonia Gandhi had said about Mahadayi issue during the elections in Goa in 2007. Siddaramaiah was in a different party then, he said recalling Sonia Gandhi's statement that the UPA government would not allow diversion of Mahadayi waters to North Karnataka districts," Modi charged.

He told the chief minister not to mislead the farmers and the youths on Mahadayi river diversion issue and sought to know the Congress' stance on the issue.

Modi said, "The Union government is ready to talk to the riparian states and resolve the Mahadayi water sharing issue amicably."

He said the Union government stonewalled the Siddaramaiah-led state government's plans to plunder the natural resources of Kappatagudda range.

"The Congress leaders were planning to fill their coffers by looting the mineral-rich Kappatagudda Hills. The state government tried to remove conservation reserve tag for the biodiversity-rich hills. But the Union government foiled the state government's plans and made sure the reserve forest tag was restored," Modi said.

Modi upped the ante against the Siddaramaiah government, alleging it has become a "corruption tank" for the Congress with a pipeline connected to Delhi, "where the money reaches directly".

"The Congress is desperate and somehow wants to grab power. It has lost in Goa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal and Northeast states. Now, it will lose in Karnataka too," Modi said.

'Punjab, Puducherry Parivar Congress'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the people of Karnataka to defeat the Congress and thereby render it a Punjab, Puducherry Parivar (PPP) Congress.

He charged, "The Congress has floated tenders for issuing tickets. There is an understanding in the Congress, accordingly, if the party is voted to power, those who have given astronomical sums will be handed the plum posts. The people should cast their votes prudently. The Congress will be sent packing, this election and it will soon become a PPP Congress party, Modi ridiculed.