Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network- Mangaluru (VP)

Mangaluru, Apr 24: District Congress president Harish Kumar criticized the BJP government, alleging that the BJP candidate had been directed by higher authorities to refrain from speaking after engaging in a debate with Congress candidate Padmaraj on a TV show. He further claimed that the BJP party struggled to gather 20,000-25,000 people for Modi's roadshow.

Addressing the media at the Mallikatte Congress office on Wednesday, April 24, Harish Kumar remarked, "There is no longer a Modi wave. When he first visited, lacs of people gathered, welcoming him from the airport to the venue. However, during his recent visit, he only conducted a 1 km roadshow. The BJP struggled to mobilize people, managing to gather only 25,000. This indicates there is no Modi wave; it's a Guarantee wave and a Siddaramaiah wave. Even BJP MLAs are uncooperative, with their candidate instructed not to speak after a contentious TV debate with Padmaraj. This information is now public. There's no real contest this election. Despite losing eight times in this district, there's now a Congress wave. The BJP had to call Narendra Modi, who only agreed to a small roadshow, not a full-fledged programme."

He continued, "The speech delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rajasthan has been heard by everyone, and using such words is unbecoming of a country's prime minister. He claims that mangalsutras will be taken away from women, but he should provide proof instead of making baseless assumptions. The Congress party has no such intentions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed no concern for the mangalsutras of women in Manipur, nor did he care for those who lost their lives during COVID and demonetization. We consider the mangalsutra sacred, and therefore, such statements should not be uttered. People's sentiments and the sanctity of the mangalsutra should not be dragged into politics."

He added, "The door-to-door campaigning is in full swing, and I urge everyone to participate in the election process and choose the Congress party to restore peace. Currently, there is a favourable opinion about the Congress party, and our guarantee schemes have reached the doorsteps of people. Women, in particular, have benefited greatly from these schemes. We believe that they will vote for us to safeguard our constitution and prioritize development. This is our agenda, and we aim for victory for the INDI Alliance. In Karnataka, we anticipate securing nearly 20 seats for the Congress party."

In response to the question about the Congress party's previous electoral losses, Harish Kumar explained, "To understand this, you must recognize that some voters are loyal to a specific party. For instance, 25% of voters consistently support the BJP, and another 25% favour the Congress. The remaining 50% of the electorate carefully evaluate the candidates. We require approximately 1 lakh votes from the BJP's vote bank, and we have devised a strategy to achieve this, although we cannot divulge the details here. What we can say is that people have placed their trust in the Congress party. We have fulfilled the promises made during the assembly elections, instilling faith among the electorate that we will deliver on our commitments. Many prominent JD(S) leaders have joined us, essentially eliminating JD(S) from Dakshina Kannada. Moreover, we have garnered support from CPI and CPIM. With 18 additional parliamentary seats, we are leading the charge. The BJP will encounter similar challenges that we faced during our coalition with the JD(S). We anticipate winning 20-25 seats, including those in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada."

When asked about plans to attract new voters, Harish Kumar responded, "The new voters tend to be against us, but we have implemented initiatives to appeal to them. For instance, we have provided Rs 3000 for degree holders and Rs 1500 for diploma holders. This assistance has been well-received by students, who recognize the benefits. They understand that a government that offers such support will provide additional benefits in the future."

When asked about the absence of star campaigners from the Congress party, Harish Kumar responded, "Randeep Singh Surjewala did come, and initially, we had plans to invite Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar on April 16. However, due to various reasons, this plan was delayed and eventually dropped. Interestingly, not having star campaigners was advantageous for us. Organizing such events consumes crucial time of party members. While we didn't physically bring Siddaramaiah, his name was on everyone's lips, and their presence wasn't necessary as their assurances have already reached the people. Our Congress convention event saw a larger turnout than Modi's roadshow. We also intended to hold a programme in Puttur, but it was cancelled due to various reasons."

T M Sahid, Shubodh Alva, Jitendra and others were present.