Bengaluru, 10 May

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attacked the Congress, accusing it of "failing" to provide good governance due to the internal power struggles in Karnataka, and "betraying" people. It has become a "parasite party" today, he charged.

He said that a "saffron sun" was rising from Bengaluru amid the BJP's expanding political influence across the country, in remarks indicating the party's recent electoral triumphs in West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry.

"For the past three years in Karnataka, instead of resolving people's problems, most of the government's time here has been spent resolving internal conflicts. The Congress government remained gripped by uncertainty over leadership and power-sharing arrangements," the PM said, addressing a large gathering of BJP workers here.

Modi was referring to the ongoing power tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy CM DK Shivakumar for the past six months.

"They cannot decide how long the chief minister will remain. They cannot decide whether another person will get a chance or not. Everything has been kept hanging," he said.

Modi said the Congress government invariably faced anti-incumbency within months because the party lacked a governance agenda. "This is because Congress only knows how to betray people. They are false themselves, and their guarantees are also false. There is no chapter on governance in Congress's book of power," he charged.

The PM projected the BJP-led NDA as the embodiment of political stability and development, contrasting it with what he described as Congress's "politics of betrayal" and administrative failure in states ruled by the party.

Claiming that the BJP represented stability in an uncertain global environment, Modi said recent election results across states reflected growing public support for the NDA's governance model.

Referring to the NDA retaining power in Puducherry and Assam and forming its maiden government in West Bengal, and the party's sweeping victory in Gujarat local body polls, he said the results indicated a decisive political shift.

"These election results are important for the direction of Indian politics. They reflect the mood of India's youth, women, farmers, poor and middle class," Modi said.

"People are saying that they want speed, not scams; they want solutions. They want politics based on national policy," he said.

The Prime Minister said Karnataka had historically played a pivotal role in strengthening the BJP, even during the party's early years. "I can see that a saffron sun has risen today from the land of Bengaluru. Even when the BJP was not such a large party, Karnataka gave it tremendous strength," he said.

Modi noted that the BJP was now the number one party in Karnataka in terms of Lok Sabha representation and the second-largest force in neighbouring Telangana.

Pointing to the BJP's expansion in southern and eastern India, the PM said the party had moved from just three MLAs in West Bengal a decade ago to forming a government with more than 200 legislators now.

He also said the BJP's growth in Kerala from one MLA to three indicated that the NDA would eventually emerge as a major force there as well to form a government in the coming years.

He further asked why the Congress did not form a government in Kerala despite having a full majority in the recently held Assembly elections.

His remarks come in the wake of the Congress high command yet to decide on who will be the Kerala Chief Minister, as three senior leaders are vying for the post.

"We have been in power at the Centre for 12 years. BJP-NDA governments are in power in more than 21 states. We are working with the mantra that the development of states leads to the development of the nation," he said.

Launching a sustained attack on the Congress leadership, Modi said the party, despite once winning more than 400 Lok Sabha seats, had failed to cross the 100-seat mark in the last three general elections.

He alleged that Congress and its allies blamed everyone else for electoral defeats and even displayed contempt towards constitutional institutions.

"In my entire public life, I have never seen any mainstream political party behave like this. They have sunk so deep into despair that they have no agenda left except using abusive language," he said.

The PM also accused the Congress of repeatedly betraying allies for political convenience.

Referring to the Congress-DMK relationship in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, he said the Congress had survived politically for years because of the DMK's support, but now "stabbed" the regional party "in its back" when power equations changed.

He was referring to Congress extending support to actor-politician Vijay-led TVK forming government in Tamil Nadu after walking out of the DMK-led alliance.

He alleged that the Congress had similarly betrayed its own leaders in states such as Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Karnataka by making promises over leadership arrangements and later reneging on them.

"The same game is still continuing in Karnataka. Now Kerala's turn has come," he said.

"Wherever Congress is in power, either the treasury is being looted to serve a royal court or there are internal fights over looted money. The Congress today has become known as a parasitic party. That is why, at the first opportunity, it betrays even its allies. Hence it is often said that there is no one whom Congress has not deceived."

"Now parasitic Congress needs another party on whose shoulders it can ride to remain politically relevant."

The Prime Minister further accused the Congress of deceiving women for decades on the issue of reservation. He said the BJP had ended that "game" by bringing legislation providing 33 per cent reservation for women.

He referred to global instability and tensions in West Asia, saying India too was being affected by the prevailing international climate. He called upon people to conserve resources and remain united in the national interest.

Invoking historical and cultural themes, Modi noted that May 10 marked the anniversary of the 1857 uprising against British rule and said the spirit of sacrifice and courage from that struggle continued to inspire the country. He also referred to the recent observance of the first anniversary of "Operation Sindoor" and said he would attend celebrations in Gujarat marking 75 years of the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple.