Manmohan Singh addressed a press conference as part of his campaigning in Bengaluru
With less than a week left before Karnataka goes to polls, national parties -- Congress and BJP continue their steak of campaigning in the state. Over the past few weeks, both parties launched several attacks and accusations against the other over several issues. Leaders from both party including PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi and Amit Shah tour the state through the day and address several rallies and roadshows. PM Modi began by addressing the Yuva Morcha Karyakartas of BJP Karnataka -- Yuvakara Jothe Modi via Narendra Modi App. He will address three other rallies in the state - Raichur, Chitradurga and Kolar.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi held a protest against fuel prices in Kolar. He will hold a meeting in Bangalore Rural. Former Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, addressed a press conference at Bengaluru this afternoon. "Nation experiencing difficult times today," the former prime minister said.
BJP chief Amit Shah will address two public meeting, beginning with one in Gadag District this morning and one in Bengaluru Rural at the end of the day. He will then hold two roadshows, one in Davangere and the other in Bengaluru's Yeshwanthpur.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the Chennabasava Patta Devara Mutt in Bhalki town and will address five public meetings later in the day. BJP's chief minister candidate, BS Yeddyurappa will also address several rallies in Gulbarga district.
Here are the live updates of election campaigning in Karnataka:
Rahul Gandhi addresses public rally in Hoskote:
- The stage from which PM Modi speaks of anti-corruption also has people who've spent time in jails for corruption
- PM Modi rode to power on the promise of reducing fuel prices. He should explain to the people why fuel prices are rising and why is he unable to curtail them
- Farmers of this country are suffering but PM Modi has turned a deaf ear to them
- Our Government in Karnataka has delivered as it had promised. The success of our various welfare schemes speaks for itself
- In the next 5 years, every person in Karnataka will own a house. Unlike PM Modi, we keep our promises
- The Congress stands united to defeat the BJP in Karnataka. We will win and form a people's government
- Karnataka has not forgotten #Demonetisation, Gabbar Singh Tax & Nirav Modi
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah extended an invitation to BS Yeddyurappa to join him for an open debate.
"I have asked @BSYBJP to join me in an open debate. @narendramodi is welcome to join. I will speak extempore. They can bring paper
Come on BSY avare let people see who they are voting for beyond the smokescreen created by hot air from Modi-Shah-Yogi team"
Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressing the press in Kolar:
- RSS is unaware of what the voice of Dalits is
- A phone has 3 modes -- Work mode, speaker mode and airplane mode -- Modiji uses Airplane and Speaker modes. He does not seem to be using the work mode
- BS Yeddyurappa is the most corrupt chief minister the nation has ever seen. The Reddy brothers are the most corrupt people that the country has seen. Why is PM Modi protecting them?
- What was BJP doing when farmers were demanding a loan waiver? Nothing. They didn't even chip in when the state government agreed to do so
- PM needs to explain his China visit. Chinese troops have intruded Doklam and the prime minister was in China sipping tea
Third Largest Economy "Systematically Dismantled" Says Manmohan SinghFormer Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, one of the world's best known economists, today accused the Narendra Modi government of 'systematically dismantling" Indian economy, the third largest in the world. The " virtuous intentions" of the Narendra Modi government has caused the country massive losses due to "lack of reasoning and analysis", he told the media in Karnataka.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi rides a bicycle in Kolar where he held a protest against the rising fuel prices in the country
Rahul Gandhi's bullock cart protest against fuel prices
Congress president Rahul Gandhi arrives at Malur in Kolar district
BJP Chief Amit Shah addresses a public meeting at Naragund assembly constituency in Gadag, Karnataka.
- On 15th May, Congress will be uprooted from the great land of Karnataka
- Rahul Gandhi has no respect for 'Vande Mataram'
- Siddaramaiah wears watch worth Rs. 40 lakh, that indicates how much corruption they have done
- 'Siddaramaiah govt promotes hate and those who embrace hate can't win' in Karnataka
- Siddaramaiah government has now become symbol of corruption. His government is known as 10% commission government
- Two major avoidable blunders of the Modi government have been demonetisation and hasty implementation of GST. The losses the economy suffered due to these blunders have severely hurt our Micro Small and Medium Enterprise sector and have resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs
- Petrol and diesel prices are at a historic high. This is in spite of lower international crude oil prices because the Modi Government chooses to levy excessive excise taxes. Instead of passing on the benefits of low prices to the people, the Modi government has punished the people
- The economic mismanagement of the Modi government, and I say this with great care and responsibility, is slowly eroding the trust of the general public in the banking sector
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addresses press conference in Bengaluru:
- The policies of the Modi government, which claims to be good, has resulted in massive losses for the country
- They have failed to capitalise the favourable global economic climate and could not use the low oil prices to our advantage. It is an opportunity lost
- Their disastrous decision-making has led to massive losses for the small and medium scale industries
- Though they (BJP) claim higher growth, it was indeed far more during the UPA era than under the current government
Karnataka BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa, the party's presumptive chief minister, has insisted that his son being dropped as a candidate for the May 12 state election was his decision. Speaking for the first time on his disappointment, Mr Yeddyurappa's son BY Vijayendra has revealed that his father "received a call and then instructed me" not to file nomination papers.
HD Kumaraswamy and other leaders of the Janata Dal (Secular) party released their party manifesto in Bengaluru.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Chennabasava Patta Devara Mutt in Bhalki. He had cut short his Karnataka election campaign tour after dust storms in Uttar Pradesh. One of the star campaigners of Karnataka, Mr Adityanath will tour Humnabad , Gokak, Khanapur, Yamakanamaradi and Belagavi Rural through the day.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, today challenged the BJP for an open debate on issues.
"PM Modi is deliberately confusing Karnataka voters with his bombastic speeches on non-issues. All hot air & no substance. My contest is not with him. It is with Yaddyurappa.
I challenge him to an open debate on issues on a single platform. Will he accept? Modi is also welcome!"
Congress president Rahul Gandhi is on the 9th phase of his election campaigning in Karnataka. He will begin with a protest march in Kolar against rising petrol prices. He will then address two meetings in rual Bengaluru and and with a speech in Doddaballapura.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Ananth Kumar campaigned in Chickpet yesterday. The Union Home Minister had said, crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh given to farmers in Karnataka would be waived when a BJP government comes to power in the state. He also said after coming to power in Karnataka, the BJP government will constitute a Special Investigation Cell under a woman police officer to investigate pending cases of crimes against women.
PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah addresses several rallies yesterday across the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took on Karnataka's Congress government led by Siddaramaiah, accusing it of celebrating the
"jayantis of Sultans" for the sake of "vote bank politics".
PM Modi addresses Yuva Morcha Karyakartas of BJP Karnataka -- Yuvakara Jothe Modi via Narendra Modi App.
- Like everything, technology too can be either used constructively or be misused
- Unfortunately there are some who both doubt technology and also misuse it. They doubt Aadhaar, they doubt EVMs, they doubt digitization, and they go ahead and misuse technology to spread lies, hate and create doubt in the minds of others
- While we (the BJP) promote technology and are progressive, there are those who want to live in the past, so that corruption can flourish, accountability and transparency is hampered, so that they can continue with what they are best at
- India being recognized for start-ups. Dont have to name the city that is the start-up hub, it is Bangalore. Youth are the pride of Bangalore
- The digital revolution can leapfrog India and help bridge the gap we have with developed countries. We must capitalize on it. Artificial Intelligence is the future and developed nations are racing towards it... India cannot afford to lag behind others in this endeavor
- The enthusiasm that I am witnessing in Karnataka polls shows interest of people in election
- 60 state of the art Namma BPO complexes will be established after BJP's win in Karnataka
- Five world-class sports centres will be established in Karnataka
- No place for violence in democracy, political killings is a big concern
- Violence in any form should not be allowed by any political party or ideology in democracy and I appeal to BJP's youth karyakartas in Karnataka not to act in vengeance even when they have lost their several karyakartas in political violence