Bagalkot, April 30 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that the rights of SC-ST communities are no longer secure in the country due to the Congress' vote bank politics.

"Our Constitution does not allow reservation on the basis of religion. The manifesto of the Congress party states about giving reservation on the basis of religion," PM Modi said while addressing a mega public rally in Bagalkot city of Karnataka.

He stated that the BJP government had in Karnataka granted Scheduled Tribe status to the Talavara community with more than three lakh families in the state having been issued Hukku Patra.

"However, Congress has initiated a campaign to amend the constitution and strip away the rights of SC/ST/OBC communities. The Karnataka government has allocated a portion of OBC reservation to Muslims. They had previously mentioned in their manifesto about making laws to provide reservation based on religion," said PM Modi.

In his speech, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the sad state of affairs in Karnataka, accusing the Congress party of emptying the government treasury in a short span of time.

"In Karnataka, the Congress party isn't running the government, it's operating an extortion racket. The entire administration is preoccupied with recovering money, funnelling it into the treasury, only to siphon it off for their own gain. Our once renowned Tech Hub, Karnataka, and Bengaluru, have been reduced to Tanker Hub by the Congress government. The tanker mafia is extorting money from people for water, with a share of the commission finding its way into the pockets of Congress members," he said.

Asserting that extremist forces have become rampant in Karnataka, PM Modi pointed out the incident where a shopkeeper was attacked for listening to Hanuman Chalisa within his shop. He also mentioned the Bengaluru cafe blast, saying that the Congress made attempts to downplay it to solely gain votes.

Attacking the Congress government once again over the Hubballi murder incident, the Prime Minister said that the whole nation is worried about the law and order situation in Karnataka.

"The Congress government is busy destroying Karnataka. Instead of controlling crime, Congress is promoting an anti-social and anti-national mindset," he said.

He also expressed his concern about the misuse of technology.

"This is the age of social media and technology. Those who are defeated in polls are using the technology to create fake videos. By making use of AI, my voice is faked and videos are circulated. If you come across any such videos, inform the party or the police".

Prime Minister Modi also paid respects to the prominent Dalit leader V. Srinivas Prasad who passed away in the wee hours of Monday. "Srinivas Prasad was a true mass leader. In his public life, Srinivas Prasad dedicated every moment to the welfare of the poor, exploited. His contributions will be remembered always," he underlined.