Karnataka: PM Modi holds roadshow in Belagavi

Belagavi (Karnataka) [India], February 27 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a visit to poll-bound Karnataka, held a roadshow in Belagavi on Monday.
People queued up on both sides of the road through which the Prime Minister's cavalcade passed and cheered for him. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers welcomed PM Modi showering petals on his convoy. Cultural dance performances were also organised alongside the road.
After the roadshow, Prime Minister Modi held a public rally where he laid the foundation stone and inaugurated multiple development projects worth more than Rs 2,700 crore in Belagavi.
He released the 13th installment amounting to about Rs 16,000 crore under PM-KISAN. The Prime Minister dedicated the redeveloped Belagavi Railway Station building to the nation. He also laid the foundation stone of six multi-village scheme projects under Jal Jeevan Mission.
While addressing the rally, PM Modi came down heavily on Congress and said the people of the country would give a befitting reply to the party which curses him to death.
Addressing the rally here, PM Modi said, "Congress thinks until Modi is alive their motives will not survive and that is why they all are saying 'mar ja Modi, mar ja Modi'. And, some are saying 'Modi teri kabad khudegi' but the country is saying 'Modi tera Kamal khilega'.
Taking a dig at the Congress, PM said that Mallikarjun Kharge is only a namesake president of the party as the world is aware who has the "remote control" of the party.
"I respect Mallikarjun Kharge ji a lot... Congress session was going on now. He is the most senior. Mallikarjun Kharge has served the public in whatever way possible. It was sunny, but Kharge ji did not get an umbrella as it was meant for someone else. I was disheartened to see how the most senior leader, the president of Congress has been disrespected by them. The world knows who has the remote control," he said.
Since 2014, Prime Minister said the country is continuously moving towards a meaningful change in agriculture. "We are connecting agriculture with modernity," he said.
PM Modi said, "We have transferred Rs 16,000 crore to farmers across the country and eliminated the middlemen. Had it been congress' rule, over Rs 12,000-13,000 crore would have been lost out of Rs 16,000 crore."
In 2014, PM Modi said India's budget for agriculture was Rs 25,000 crore. He said the government have increased it to Rs 1.25 lakh crore in this year's budget.
He said small farmers who were neglected for decades, are the priority of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Rs 2.5 lakh crore has been deposited through PM Kisan Samman Nidhi in the accounts of farmers.
Earlier on Monday, PM Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated multiple development projects worth more than Rs 3,600 crore at Shivamogga. He also inaugurated the Shivamogga Airport and took a walk-through of the facilities.
The Prime Minister further laid the foundation stone for two railway projects in Shivamogga which include Shivamogga - Shikaripura - Ranebennur new Railway line and Koteganguru Railway coaching depot.
He also laid the foundation stone for multiple road development projects to be developed at a cumulative cost of more than Rs 215 crore. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multi-village schemes worth more than Rs 950 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission. He also inaugurated 44 Smart City Projects worth more than Rs 895 Crores in Shivamogga city.
Assembly polls in Karnataka is slated for later this year.