Congress accuses BJP of bringing Narendra Modi to K'taka

Bangalore, Mar 18 (UNI) Karnataka unit of Congress party today accused BJP of bringing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to the state to whip up communal passion and divide the people before the Assembly elections.

Speaking to newspersons here, KPCC President Mallikarjun Kharge said the saffron party, by inviting Mr Modi to address a farmers' convention in Hubli yesterday, would fuel communal sentiments. His call to bring 'Gujarat type' of Government in the state was nothing but a plan to divide the people on communal lines, he alleged.

Ridiculing Mr Modi's claim that he had taken up construction work of three lakh water bodies in Gujarat to help farmers after BJP assumed power, Mr Kharge said the BJP leader was misleading the people.

''There cannot be more than 25,000 villages in Gujarat and where did the three lakh water bodies come from. Even if he counts three tanks per village it will not cross 75,000. Mr Modi is only trying to take the people of Karnataka for a ride,'' he said.

Saying BJP was only shedding crocodile tears at farmers' woes, the KPCC Chief said it was the Congress Government that had brought down the interest rates on farm loans and announced the Rs 60,000 crore farm loan waiver.

''UPA at the Centre has disbursed a credit flow of Rs 2,40,000 crore to farm sector as against Rs 1,20,000 crore during the NDA regime,'' Mr Kharge said.

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