Karnataka Congress leaders on Saturday alleged that the policies of the Narendra Modi government followed a “divide and rule” agenda on communal lines.
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said BJP leaders strongly believe in the Chaturvarna caste system and not in the Constitution of India. Unlike the BJP, for the Congress the country has always come first and sacrifice for the nation stands above all, he said.
A large number of party workers and leaders participated in a padayatra from the Congress office to Freedom Park in Bengaluru on the occasion of party’s 135th foundation day. Leaders such as Dinesh Gundu Rao, D.K. Shivakumar, G. Parameshwara, and Ramalinga Reddy took part in it and addressed the workers.
Mr. Shivakumar, who is expected to take over the reins of the State Congress soon, said the Constitution and many parliamentary institutions are under attack from the Modi government. He demanded that Prime Minister Modi apologise for calling urban intellectuals “urban naxals”. He also criticised the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Population Register of the NDA government.
“135 years of unity, 135 years of justice, 135 years of equality, 135 years of Ahimsa, 135 years of freedom. Today, we celebrate 135 years of Indian National Congress,” he tweeted.
Former Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said that under the leadership of the party’s interim president Sonia Gandhi, the Congress was becoming stronger by the day and the recent Assembly election results in Jharkhand were a clear indication of this. Karnataka Congress will return much stronger in the coming days, he said.
Mr. Rao said decisions such as CAA, NPR, and the National Register of Citizens had exposed the “double standards” of the BJP government. The people have lost confidence in the Modi government and large numbers have protested against CAA and NRC.”
