The President of Congress, Rahul Gandhi started his second day of visit to Karnataka on Wednesday. The itinerary includes, meetings with senior Congress leaders, temple visits, interactions with students and addressing public meetings there.
As part of his itinerary, he paid visit to Shringeri Sharadamba Temple located in Chikkamagaluru along with other Congress leaders.
The visit is for two days, dedicated for Karnataka, the third in line, just over a month. The schedule he shall follow is as below:
8.30 am: To meet Block Congress presidents, Dakshina Kannada & Udupi
9.30 am: A meet with senior leaders of Dakshina Kannada & Udupi
11.20 am: Visit to Temple of Sharadamba, Sringeri Mutt
12.25 pm: Interaction with students studying in Rajiv Gandhi Sanskrit University, Sringeri Mutt
3 pm: To address public meeting at Chikkamagaluru
6 pm: To address Public meeting at Hassan
Commenting on policies of the Narendra Modi led government, he said that they were ‘not inclusive’ for the reason that the government ignored farmers but waived off loans of big industrialists. “Modi speaks about Basavanna but his policies are not inclusive. If he can waive off Rs 25 lakh crore worth loans of big industrialists, why can’t he help farmers?” he questioned at a public rally in Karnataka’s coastal Udupi district.
He told the public present in the meeting that the farmers pleaded the government for the right Minimum Support Price for their agri produce, but it was not fulfilled at all. “In contrast, our government in the state has spent thrice the amount on irrigation projects than the Modi government did for the entire nation. We do not spread hatred, we abide by the principles of Basavanna,” he said just a day after the state cabinet ruled by the Congress party agreed to grant status of religious minority to Lingayats and Veerashaivas, who are followers of Basavanna.
You echoed the preaching of Basavanna’s principle of ‘Follow what you preach’, and asserted that the same was his party’s motto in the state. He lauded the step taken by the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who took the lead in waiving of loans given to farmers.
He also hailed the state’s youth for the IT revolution they have brought in Karnataka.
While addressing another rally in Mangaluru, a port city, Gandhi said that the Modi government has got just a year left and demanded that it his responsibility to generate jobs in order to fulfill the promise to provide 2 crore jobs during his regime.
The party chief went on accussing the prime minister of trying to help industrial friends by converting their black money at the time of note ban period spanning 50 days, that is, 10 November to 31 December, 2016. He noted that common people had to stand in long queues to get an exchange for their hard earned money.
Stressing that the country cannot be run on false promises and speeches, he said: “This (upcoming Karnataka assembly) election will be run by candidates who have worked hard for the people and the party. We will defeat our opponents with love and truth.”