Bengaluru : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Congress during a public meeting in Bengaluru, accusing the opposition party of "betraying" allies and people alike, while describing it as a "parasitic political force" surviving at the expense of regional parties.
Addressing BJP workers and supporters during his visit to Karnataka for the 45th anniversary celebrations of the Art of Living Foundation, PM Modi said Congress had lost public trust across the country due to what he termed "fake guarantees", poor governance and internal power struggles.
"No Congress state government has returned to power a second time. Within a few months of forming the government, anti-incumbency starts against the Congress. This is because Congress only knows how to betray. They themselves are liars, and their guarantees are also fake. In the book of Congress's power, the chapter on governance does not exist at all," PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister accused Congress of betraying long-time ally DMK in Tamil Nadu and alleged that the party repeatedly turned against its own coalition partners whenever political equations changed. "Parasitic Congress now needs another party on whose back it can ride to remain relevant," he said.
The Prime Minister said the Congress and its allies were unable to accept repeated electoral defeats and had resorted to blaming democratic institutions, courts and constitutional processes. "Hatred towards the Constitution, democracy, constitutional processes and courts, I have never seen any mainstream political party doing this in my public life," he said.
Taking aim at the party's declining electoral fortunes, PM Modi noted that the Congress, which had once won over 400 Lok Sabha seats, was now unable to even cross the 100-seat mark despite alliances. He contrasted that with the BJP's expansion across the country.
"Just 10 years ago, that is, before the election before the last one, we had only three MLAs in Bengal. Meaning, 10 years ago, the election that was held before the last one, there were only three MLAs. Today, the Bharatiya Janata Party is there with more than 200 legislators. Now in Kerala, too, we have reached from one to three MLAs. And when it reaches three, the day is not far when the number of BJP-NDA in Kerala will also increase from three and cross the majority mark," he said, adding that the BJP was also gradually strengthening its presence in Keralam.
The Prime Minister alleged that Congress governments across states were marked by instability and broken promises. Referring to Karnataka, he said the ruling party was consumed by infighting instead of governance. "It is not decided how many days this Chief Minister will stay. It is not decided whether someone else will get a chance or not; they have kept it hanging," he said.
"Not only this, I am seeing their ecosystem; the process was going on in Tamil Nadu. And their ecosystem sitting in Delhi used to mislead the country, saying, "Look, the results came on the 4th, it's the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and a government is not being formed in Tamil Nadu." Hey, there is a full majority in Kerala, form it there. This ecosystem is silent for Kerala. The leaders are unable to decide. Whether to use a two-and-a-half-year formula or a formula of five Chief Ministers for one year each, they have not yet reached a result," PM Modi added.
Referring to recent election victories, PM Modi said the people of India were choosing "stability and development" over what he called "scam politics". He highlighted the BJP's performance in West Bengal, Assam, Puducherry and Gujarat local body elections as evidence of growing public support for the NDA.
PM Modi further criticised Congress governments in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana, alleging administrative failures and internal infighting. Referring to Karnataka, he said most of the state government's time was spent managing leadership disputes instead of addressing people's concerns.
Alongside his political remarks, PM Modi called upon citizens to remain united amid global challenges, including tensions in West Asia. Stressing the need for collective responsibility, he urged people to conserve resources and work together for a developed and self-reliant India.During the event, PM Modi also invoked the legacy of Kempe Gowda and remembered the sacrifices of the 1857 freedom movement, calling May 10 a "historic date" in India's journey towards independence.