Firdaus Khan
Raichur (Karnataka): Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi kick-started the Congress campaign in Karnataka for the forthcoming assembly elections in the state by addressing a massive rally in Raichur.

Rahul Gandhi said, there was a time when there used to be a sparkle in Karnataka. Whenever anybody used to talk about Karnataka, be it in Delhi, Japan or America, they used to talk about the sparkle in Karnataka. They used to talk about Karnataka, saying there is employment in Bangalore. People used to come to Bangalore from far off places. In the last five years, the BJP and its leaders have removed the sparkle in Karnataka. Why Karnataka used to sparkle? It used to sparkle only because of all of you. Your sweat and hard work enabled it to sparkle. It sparkled because of the farmers labour and because of all the youngsters assembled here. It is the people’s hard-work which takes the nation forward. But in Karnataka, the present BJP government hurt the people of the state.

Are you happy with the BJP Government here? Are you angry with them? (People replied with a loud ‘Yes”). Why you are angry with the BJP government? In the last elections, you trusted BJP and you allowed it to form a government. But what happened after that? They had given you a number of promises. They promised round-the-clock electricity.. Did you get 24hrs electricity? It promised jobs. Did you get jobs? No. All were empty promises. After coming to the power, the BJP forgot all the promises they had made. They forgot about electricity, jobs and water. They just concentrated on one thing – how the public money – the poor people’s money – can be looted. In the last five years, BJP did nothing else than looting your money.  And I would like to tell you one thing that they (BJP) are the masters of this work. No one is better than them in this work.

BJP claims that it is against corruption. They talk loud on tackling this menace. But what did BJP do in Karnataka? It gave the entire power and authority to run the Vidhan Sabha to two brothers and they looted the state.  The senior BJP leaders come here and say that BJP is against corruption. But what steps the party took in the past five years to prevent corruption in Karnataka? Why BJP played with the future of the women and children in the state?

Congress wants to rebuild Karnataka. The BJP shattered your dreams, damaged the future of the children. We will not make tall promises to you. We will only heal your wounds. Congress will fight for the people. We gave you the biggest employment guarantee scheme MNREGA which was implemented to ensure jobs to everyone across the country. But it was stopped by the BJP government in Karnataka.

One thing is sure now. BJP will lose in Karnataka, we can hear it in Delhi.  Congress will win. The Congress Party will talk about development and do developmental works after the polls. Our focus will mainly be on three major issues. BJP had promised you 24 hours electricity. Now you realised that it was a fake promise. We, the Congress, assure you electricity for 8 hours.  Further we will make arrangements to ensure adequate water for the farmers who have been struggling under the scorching sun. A Rs. 10000 crores water project  on Krishna basin would be completed. The two brothers, about whom I was talking earlier, sell huge amount of iron ores from here to China and earn huge profits. But you must know that this iron ore belongs to you – the people of Karnataka. So, what should have done? We can have sufficient steel factories in Karnataka so that iron ore could be processed and converted to steel and this processed steel could be sent to China. Further, such factories will provide jobs to lots of unemployed youth in the state.  But here, these people, instead, loot the people’s money. Congress will work for the entire people of Karnataka, especially the women, and will once again take the state to the path of progress. Congress had done it earlier and we will prove it it again.  People’s money will reach back to the people.

Before concluding my speech, I just want to remind you something. When I had come here last time I had promised you that we would work on article 371 (J). And we kept our promise. Congress is committed to deliver and will always work for you. We never give empty promises. We promised you employment; implemented MNREGA scheme. We assured you the right to food and we are ready with the Food Security Bill. We gave you RTI, waived off the loans of the poor farmers. Congress takes everyone along with us.

If Congress forms next government in Karnataka, that will be a government of aam aadmi and it will serve the entire people and not just a handful of rich.