Bengaluru, 10 May

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday 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.

Modi 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. "People are saying that they want speed, not scams; they want solutions."

By contrast, the Congress was filled with instability and unable to solve its internal power struggles.

He asked why the Congress did not form a government in Kerala despite having full majority in the recently held Assembly elections and alleged that Congress blamed everyone else for its defeats and 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.

Launching a sustained attack on the Congress leadership, the PM 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 the Congress had 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."