By Jason Saldanha
(Freelance blogger and writer from Mangaluru)
Mangaluru, Apr 15: Mr Prime Minister, congratulations. Your polarising speech in Mangaluru on April 13 swept people off their feet. But, it is absolutely immoral of you to misinform and mislead the people who worship you. People came to listen to what development you had done for them, but you wasted time in pelting stones at the opposition with no accountability of MP Nalin Kumar Kateel for 10 years and your central government of 5 years.
Importantly,
1. Why did you lie to us about Kerala? There is no ban on speaking about Lord Aiyyappa and Sabarimala in Kerala.
Prakash Babu, your BJP candidate from Kozikhode who you defended was jailed for alleged attack on a woman devotee in Sabarimala temple. You propagate 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao', and you try to mould your words to justify his crime? Were you trying to religiously tamper the feelings of people of Mangaluru?
2. Why did you hide the reality of 'Antyodaya' (upliftment of the weakest sections) from us?
The minorities are the weakest in your government. Lynching and hate crime against minorities are the highest in your 5 years. Were you trying to mislead us by portraying a pure image?
3. Why were you not honest about your Majboor Sarkar?
You have more than 40 parties in your alliance for 2019 elections, much more than the ‘Mahamilavat’. How are you a Mazboot Sarkar then? Are you only able to diss your opposition and not accept your reality?
4. Why did you misinform us about the banking sectors?
You said in 2014, our banking sector was in ventilator. You said Congress gave double the loans between 2006 and 2014 than given in 60 years since independence for commission.
a. Then why did you not probe it in five years?
You said you stopped bank frauds and Congress opposed it.
b. What is your explanation for letting 'Mehul Bhai' and 'Nirav Bhai' (as you call them) go out of our country so easily?
You said you revived the banking sector.
c. Why are NPAs (non-performing assets, bad loans given) the highest in your 5 years with lowest recoveries? And why have you written off most of them?
5. Why did you fail to address nepotism in your party?
You said Congress promotes nepotism to the core. Then, why did you give tickets to more than 35 people in Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections based on nepotism? Have you forgotten about Pankaj Singh, Dushyant Singh, Abhishek Singh (and 20 others I can name)?
Why is the pot calling the kettle black?
6. Why did you politicise and lie to us about our armed forces?
You said, India went into their homes and killed them.
But, why were our forces not safe in our own house?
Why have suicides in our forces increased in your 5 years?
Do you not remember Pulwama, Gurudapsur, Uri, Sukma, Sunjwan, Pathankot?
Why do you fail to address the intelligence failure for the Pulwama attack?
Why do you ignore that you did not approve an airlift for those jawans?
7. Why do you hide and lie about corruption?
You said due to Congress there is corruption, in your 5 years in office why is not one person from central Congress party in jail? Why is Robert Vadra free?
Why have several politicians from other parties with cases of corruption against them entered BJP and cleansed themselves?
You said you have increased transparency and honesty.
Why did you pass the Finance Bill and make electoral bonds secretive and anonymous? You received 95% of these electoral donations. You have also allowed foreign funding to political parties.
Did you legalise corruption? Are you hiding the truth from the voter?
8. You said you have worked for education of children.
Then, why has the growth rate of government expenditure on ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) scheme much lower than UPA 1 and UPA 2?
Why have you reduced the expenditure (% share of GDP) on education?
9. You said you have worked towards jobs for youth.
Then, why is unemployment in India at a 45 year high?
Why are you hiding the NSSO report that proves this?
10.You said you have worked for the farmers. You said Congress kept middlemen and commission people strong and you stopped it.
a. Then, why have farmer suicides increased drastically in your 5 years?
b. Why have you hidden the data for farmer suicides?
c. Why are farmers protesting against you regularly (111 Tamilnadu farmers filed nomination against you in Varanasi, wasn’t that protest)?
d. Have the middlemen (who still exist) not given the farmers the right price for their crop?
11. You spoke about giving 12 crore farmers Rs 75,000 crore and that the first instalment of Rs 2,000 has already been given.
Then, why did people say they did not receive the first instalment to Rajnath Singh in his Purnia, Bihar rally? Are you misleading us?
12. You said OROP (One Rank One Pension) has been passed successfully.
Then, why did 10,000 retired officers protest against it in Delhi? Why did Major General Satbir Singh, chairman of the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement allegedly say "Modi has been lying in his election speeches about fulfilling all the demands on OROP"?
Were you misinforming us?
13. You said Dr Radhakrishnan was from Karnataka and served his whole life in Karnataka.
But, wasn't he born in Tamil Nadu and didn't he die there? Wasn't he a teacher in the University of Mysore for three years only? Did you miss some facts? Or did you try to misguide us?
14. You promised a fishing ministry once you come to power.
You promised a model for coastal region and support to fishermen when you came in February 2014 - Why did you do nothing about it in five years? Why did you lie then? Is this a Jumla too?
15. You said your words cannot be proved wrong (Modi hai jo pattar pe lakeer karta hai).
Then, why have you not fulfilled any promises you made in Mangaluru in your speech in February 2014?
Also, you asked a lot of closed-ended and rhetorical questions to the crowd. You tried to influence them with these questions. Many people were oblivious to the facts and they treat you as a hero, hence agreed with you.
Finally, you said you saw a human wall of people waiting for you (which you have used in three speeches in Mangaluru – 2014, 2018, 2019). Then, why was your speech filled with false claims, allegation, lies, inaccuracies and attacks? Do you consider us fools? Do you not respect the human wall and the sea of saffron?
Unfortunately, many people think what you said was true without reading into it. They trust you, Mr Prime Minister.
You have broken the trust and exploited the innocence of the people of Mangaluru.
Evidently, you are hoping people will vote you in for your speech on nationalism with under-performance from your sitting MP and false promises. Do not consider Mangalureans to be dim-witted unintelligent people who will vote for you based on your religious and political attacks without work.
Bharat Mata Ki Jai – it was, is and always will be.
This election is not the test of our patriotism; it is a cry for safety, jobs and unity.
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