Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday kicked off the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s campaign for Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka with a scathing attack on the ruling Congress, accusing the Siddaramaiah-led government of indulging in loot and corruption while the law and order situation deteriorated.

Addressing a mega rally from Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge’s home turf Kalaburagi, the PM pledged to win more than 400 seats in the upcoming general elections.

“The crowd in Kalaburagi and its enthusiasm shows that Karnataka has resolved to ensure that the BJP wins a record number of seats in the Lok Sabha elections… Today the whole of Karnataka is saying that this time we will cross 400,” he said.

Kharge, who is also the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, successfully contested from Kalaburagi, or Gulbarga, Lok Sabha constituency in 2009 and 2014, but lost to BJP’s Umesh Jadhav in 2019 by a margin of more than 95,000 votes.

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He added: “The law and order situation in Karnataka has worsened. Anti-social elements are being given protection in the state. I can understand the anger that all of you have against Congress. It is such a party that no matter how many clothes they change, their activities won’t change. The blackness of coal can be removed but corruption can’t be separated from Congress. For these dynasts, corruption is oxygen. Therefore, the people in Karnataka have been awakened. People have come to know the truth of Congress.”

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 25 of the 28 seats in Karnataka while the Congress, Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S) and an Independent won one seat each. In 2014, the BJP won 17 of the 28 seats, the Congress nine and the JD(S) two.

For the 2024 polls, the BJP has given three seats to ally JD(S). The BJP is looking at repeating its 2019 performance while the Congress, which is in power in Karnataka, is hoping to win at least half a dozen seats and improve its numbers.

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Accusing the ruling Congress of indulging in loot, the PM said: “These people came to power by making big promises to the youth. But today, they are stopping the scholarships of those very young, cutting them. It is Congress that is sinning, depriving the youth of their rights. The loot of Congress is such that even for small development works, there is no money with the government. The MLAs have been told that the government does not have money. Is this how a government operates? Even Congress has realized that they will not be able to form the government again. Therefore, Congress has only one agenda left, loot as much as you can.”

He added that the BJP is committed towards the welfare and progress of Karnataka.

“The BJP has always worked for the development of Karnataka. We have respected the identity of Karnataka. Wherever I go in the world, I talk about the principles of democracy that were taught to us by Jagadguru Basaveshwara. Taking inspiration from the Anubhava Mantapa, we also named Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam after it. This is the place where the G-20 Summit of leaders from around the world was held. This increased the pride and respect of Karnataka worldwide,” he said.

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The PM further lamented the Congress party’s culture of corruption, accusing them of exploiting the state’s resources for personal and political gains. He also criticised the party for betraying the trust of farmers, youth, and other sections of society by reneging on their commitments and indulging in nepotism and maladministration.

Meanwhile, chief minister Siddaramaiah took to X to attack the PM.

“For a decade, you held power, promising to bring back black money from Swiss Bank, eliminate black money via demonetisation, claiming ‘Na Khaunga, Na Khane Dunga’, and being the so-called ‘Chowkidar of the Nation’. Now, it is time for you to address the issues surrounding the electoral bond scam,” the CM said in a series of posts on X, referring to the disclosure of electoral bonds data by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

He also questioned why the State Bank of India was reluctant to submit the details of electoral bonds to the top court. “Despite the Supreme Court’s order, why is the State Bank of India (SBI) hesitant to provide complete information? If the sale and purchase of electoral bonds were conducted legally, why is SBI concealing information? Who is exerting pressure on SBI? Prime Minister @narendramodi, please respond,” he asked.

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The CM’s attack comes days after ECI uploaded the electoral bonds data a day before the deadline set by the Supreme Court in the high-profile case. The data showed that around 1,260 companies and individuals bought 22,217 bonds worth ₹12,155.51 crore between April 12, 2019 and February 15, 2024. In this period, 20,421 bonds worth ₹12,769.09 crore were redeemed by 23 political parties, with the BJP leading the pack with a war chest of ₹6,061 crore (47.5% of total redeemed value), followed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) with ₹1,610 crore (12.6%) and Congress with ₹1,422 crore (11.1%).

He further accused the BJP-led central government of misusing agencies like ED and CBI to extort donations from businessmen. Siddaramaiah said, “When we look at the IT, ED, and CBI raids on these businessmen and the dates they purchased electoral bonds, it seems like a clear blackmail case. Is the Union Government misusing its investigative agencies to extort donations? Is the electoral bond a political weapon of mass extortion in the hands of BJP?”

The Karnataka CM also doubted the quality of infrastructure and medicines provided by the companies that funded political parties through electoral bonds. He asked how anyone can rely on the roads and bridges constructed by these companies.

He then urged the Supreme Court to establish a special investigation committee to probe the electoral bond row.