Karnataka poll: What Modi and Rahul said today in Rally

Kalaburagi: BJP's prime campaigner for the May 12 Assembly elections in Karnataka Prime Minister Narendra Modi places all tricks in his sleeves to ensure he jelled with the massive crowds that came to listen to him.

Addressing  his fourth meeting, his first on the second day of his electioneering,  in Kalaburgi, Mr Modi touched upon the patriotic sentiments of the people and chidded the Congress and its leaders for dishonouring those who fought for the country.

He  said ''forgetting the national heroes,  patriots and history is the  nature of a family in the Congress. (Jawaharlal) Nehru and V K Krishna Menon insulted General (KS) Thimayya, who had to resign. They neglected General (K M) Cariappa,"  even as he sought to

connect with the voters of the home state of the two legends of the Army.

He also said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi "disrespected" the national song 'vande mataram'.Invoking  Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Prime Minister said the independent  India's first home minister, was instrumental in forcingthe Nizam of  Hyderabad, who controlled the region where Kalaburagi is located, to  accede to the country. "But one family in the Congress

loses its sleep whenever Sardar Patel's name crops up," he said.

Seeking  to appeal to patriotic sentiments of voters, the prime  minister raked  up the issue of cross-LoC surgical strikes, claiming that the  Congress questioned the genuineness of the assault by the Indian Army. "They (Congress) sought proof about the genuineness of the surgical  strike. Bodies of Pakistani soldiers were carried on trucks, a newspaper  said that...and they need proof. Should our soldiers go on such operations with a camera or a gun?" he said.

The prime minister said a Congress leader even called the Army chief a "goonda" (gangster) after the surgical strike, he said .

I will never indulge in attacking Prime Minister personally: Rahul Gandhi

Aurad: Congress President Rahul Gandhi today stressed  that he will never launch a personal attack on Prime Minister Narendra  Modi as he was the head of the State.Responding to the personal  attacks Mr Modi  had been making against him, Mr Gandhi who began a two  day campaign in the state in this northern tip of Karnataka alleged that

wherever  Mr Modi spoke in Karnataka,

he made it a point to attack him  personally. " But I will never attack him personally'' he said adding  ''Mr Modi should understand that he is Prime Minister of this country  and not of BJP''. Whenever. He spoke  he should spell out his plans to  solve the problems including employment for youth, eradicating  corruption and other burning issues and not indulge  in personally  attacking somebody."

Referring to the saying of 12th century  saint and social reformer Basavanna,"Nudidante Nade' (Do what you  preach) Mr Gandhi said that Prime Minister should implement what he  assures.  But he has failed to keep up his promise of creating jobs to  the youth after coming to power,  he has failed to come to the rescue of  farmers of Karnataka who struggled during three years of severe drought  condition.  He never spoke a word about waiving off their farm loans  taken from nationalised Banks.

Alleging that Mr Modi was not  interested in protecting the interests of the farmers,  Mr Gandhi said  that "despite of my appeal to him (Mr Modi) to waive off Karnataka  farmers loan since they are suffering due to severe drought, he did not  utter a single word.  But he waived off Rs 2,45,000 crore loan of 15  Industrialists and least bothered to come to the rescue of Karnataka  (UNI)