"Congress is talking of separating Karnataka from India": PM Modi

Mysuru (Karnataka) [India], May 7 : Levelling fresh allegations against the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the party of demanding the "separation" of Karnataka from the country.
The Prime Minister was addressing his last election rally during the Karnataka campaign.
Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said, "When it comes to working against the interests of India, the royal family of the Congress party is at the forefront. They openly incite foreign powers to influence the politics in India".
"In this election, Congress has said that they want to protect the sovereignty of Karnataka. It means that Congress is advocating for Karnataka's separation from India. The disease of the 'Tukde Tukde' gang will reach this high in Congress, I had never thought," he added.
He further accused the Congress party of "insulting" the Kannada freedom fighters who participated in India's freedom struggle.
"Congress has a history of dividing brothers, making states fight among themselves, and leaving no stone unturned in inciting communal violence. Whenever Congress party comes to power, the confidence of terrorists and criminals get emboldened. They are assured of being protected by the Congress party. We have seen how Congress has repeatedly come in support of terrorists," he said.
The Prime Minister also slammed the Congress party for "abusing" the OBC and Lingayat community.
"All they can see is Vote Bank politics. What they did with Bajrang Bali, that is also a result of appeasement. We all know what they did with Ram Temple. When we promote the pilgrimages of Kashi Vishwanath, Kedarnath and Ujjain Mahakal Mahalok, Congress feels displeasured," he said.
PM Modi added, "India has been a world power in terms of spices since ancient times. But, under Congress we were even losing the identity of our turmeric. BJP has promoted our spices across the world, and now demand is again increasing".
The Prime Minister further said that there is "no corner" in the state of Karnataka, where BJP's "prosperous development" is not visible.
"When India's defence sector started strengthening, then Asia's biggest helicopter factory came in Karnataka. When India became the third biggest ecosystem in the world, Karnataka became the startup capital. When railways progressed in the country, then its development also picked pace in Karnataka," he said.
He further added that for Karnataka, the election is about creating a new history and making Karnataka the number 1 state in the country.
"For Karnataka, this election is about creating a new history. This election is about making Karnataka the number one state in the country. And, I am happy that the people of the state have reposed faith in BJP's double-engine government," the Prime Minister said.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi also addressed a rally in Shivamogga, during the last phase of the campaigning for the assembly elections in Karnataka.
Karnataka will go to polls on May 10 and the votes will be counted on May 13.