The Congress on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was playing the "victim card" and pleading for a "discredited" double-engine government in Karnataka but the people of the state have made up their mind to oust the BJP.
Launching his poll campaign from Humnabad in Bidar district, Modi trained his guns on the Congress over its president Mallikarjun Kharge's 'venomous snake' barb at him, saying till now the opposition party and its leaders have hurled at him different abuses 91 times.
Reacting to it, AICC general secretary Communications Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter, "Predictably PM Modi has begun his much-delayed Karnataka campaign by playing the victim card, pleading for a completely discredited so-called 'double engine' sarkar and abusing Congress."
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"These will be his tired themes no doubt as he leaves the dirty tricks to Shah and Yogi to polarise," he also alleged, targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Hitting out at the Congress, Modi, who was his first visit to the state for campaigning after elections were declared on March 29, accused the party of abusing the dominant Lingayat community, Babasaheb Ambedkar and freedom fighter Veer Savarkar.
The people will respond to its abuses with votes, and as much mud they sling at BJP, the lotus will bloom, he said.
"The Congress hates everyone who speaks about the common man, who brings out their corruption, who attacks their politics of selfishness. The Congress hate against such people will become permanent. In this election too, the Congress once again has started abusing me," Modi said.
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Earlier, Ramesh put out a tweet saying, "5 years ago in his Karnataka election campaign PM Modi did what comes naturally to him - lie".
"Today he will do so again. But the people of Karnataka know better. They will vote for Congress guarantees, not for BJP threats," he also said.
