Cong leaders hesitant to take Rahul Gandhi's name: Former K'taka CM Yediyurappa

BENGALURU: In the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, former Karnataka Chief Minister, BS Yediyurappa on Thursday attacked senior Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's leadership of the party.

Addressing a Press conference in Bengaluru, Yediyurappa stated that the Congress had forgotten that the Lok Sabha elections were being held in the country.

He also alleged that voting for the Congress was a threat to internal security.

“Rahul Gandhi’s leadership is a total failure. Congress leaders are hesitant to take Rahul Gandhi's name,” Yediyurappa stated and added that he had carried out propaganda that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was shutting down.

“HAL has got Rs 84,000 crore worth of work orders. Talks are on for Rs 50,000 crore work orders. In 2023-24, HAL generated revenue of Rs 29,000 crore.

“Will Rahul Gandhi now apologise? Will Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar get his apologies?

“The Congress lacks trustworthy leadership and achievements. In this background, the Congress is diverting the attention of the people by raising questions regarding grants by the central government and creating a row. It is their illusion that they will come to power by doing so,” said Yediyurappa.

“We are facing the elections on the basis of the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last 10 years,” he added.

He alleged that the Congress was questioning the creation of two crore jobs without any data.

“In 2014, the number of Provident Fund accounts was 15.54 crore and in 2022 it rose to 22.5 crore. As per data seven crore new jobs have been created in the country,” Yediyurappa stated.

“Let Chief Minister Siddaramaiah issue a statement on how many jobs he has created in the 10 months since he came to power? The setting up of industries is confined to the social media accounts of the Large and Medium Industries Minister MB Patil and Minister for IT/BT Priyank Kharge. The Congress government has made a new record by not creating a single job,” Yediyurappa alleged.

He added that under Prime Minister Modi’s government, the railway line between Kalaburagi-Bidar cities had been completed, while AICC President, Mallikarjun Kharge, was not able to complete it while being the Union Minister for Railways.

Yediyurappa said that 95 per cent of Karnataka railway tracks are electrified now and six Vande Bharat trains are running in the state.

Yediyurappa added that 54 lakh farmers in the state were getting Rs 6,000 every year under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana.

“When I was the CM, I added Rs 4,000 to it. The Congress government has stopped it and this shows the government is bankrupt,” he said.

“Forget about the establishment of a medical college, the Congress government has failed to open a single primary healthcare centre in the state,” Yediyurappa alleged.

“This is the achievement of the CM Siddaramaiah government,” he chided.