Bengaluru, June 11 (IANS) Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra on Thursday said corruption-free governance was impossible during the Congress-led UPA regime and that people had grown weary of its decade-long rule.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had provided a solution by taking charge of the country and leading it effectively.
Addressing a joint press conference at the BJP state headquarters, Jagannath Bhavan, Vijayendra alleged that development was not possible under the Congress government and that it had failed to create opportunities for millions of young people to build their future.
He claimed that under PM Modi’s leadership, India had emerged as one of the world’s strongest nations.
Referring to alleged scams during the UPA era, Vijayendra said the period was marked by controversies such as the 2G spectrum case, Bofors and Commonwealth Games scam, among others, with alleged irregularities amounting to over Rs 12 lakh crore. In contrast, he asserted that not a single scam had taken place under the Modi government, describing it as a significant achievement.
He said PM Modi’s tenure would be remembered in “golden letters” and noted that the Prime Minister had surpassed Jawaharlal Nehru’s record for the longest continuous years in office. Vijayendra also highlighted Modi’s administrative experience as Gujarat’s former Chief Minister.
According to Vijayendra, when PM Modi assumed office in 2014, he accepted the challenges facing the nation and demonstrated that India could achieve a bright future through corruption-free governance and secure a prominent position on the global stage.
He said the NDA government had brought about transformational changes over the past 12 years and that India had emerged as the world’s fourth-largest economy despite global challenges.
“PM Modi has made all this possible through his determination and commitment. He works tirelessly every day with the mindset of being the nation’s chief servant,” Vijayendra said.
He further stated that PM Modi viewed the country’s four key social groups as the poor, farmers, women and youth, and claimed that the government’s welfare programmes had contributed to development across sectors.
He said 140 crore Indians had developed confidence in Modi’s leadership and that India had recorded significant growth despite global economic uncertainties.
Vijayendra said the PM Modi government had prioritised the defence sector and significantly increased budgetary allocations.
He noted that India had moved from being heavily dependent on defence imports to manufacturing defence equipment domestically and was progressing towards self-reliance in the sector.
He claimed that previous Congress governments had neglected the northeastern states, while the Modi government had improved railway connectivity, highways and airport infrastructure in the region. According to him, these developments had strengthened people’s sense of national integration in the Northeast.
Vijayendra also credited Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for curbing Naxalism, saying the number of Naxal-affected districts had reduced significantly.
He said skill development programmes and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) had been established in affected areas, creating employment opportunities for youth. He added that Jammu and Kashmir were progressing on the path of development and witnessing growth in tourism.
Highlighting the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Vijayendra said India had found effective solutions under Modi’s leadership and had supplied vaccines to several countries worldwide.
“When even countries like the United States were struggling with the pandemic, India developed vaccines and supplied them to many nations free of cost,” he said.
The government had invested more than Rs 12 lakh crore in infrastructure development, including national highways, railways and airports.
He also pointed to growth in solar energy capacity, renewable energy production, access to clean drinking water and toilet construction as examples of development under the NDA government.
The BJP leader maintained that the Modi government had delivered clean and transparent governance. He said Karnataka’s share of central tax allocations had increased and that the Centre was providing funds for railway projects and housing construction for the rural poor in the state.
Vijayendra alleged that opposition parties were unable to accept the PM Modi government’s long tenure in office and therefore resorted to spreading misinformation.
“PM Modi is working towards transforming India into a developed nation. The country will continue to emerge as a major global power despite international challenges,” he said.
Responding to a question on fuel prices, Vijayendra accused the Karnataka government of increasing taxes on petroleum products four times after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah assumed office.
He alleged that the state government had raised taxes to fund its guarantee schemes. At the same time, he said the recent Centre-led increase in fuel prices was linked to rising international crude oil prices and was not unique to India.
“The impact of higher crude oil prices is being felt across countries, not just India,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, former Deputy Chief Minister and MP Govind Karjol, MP P.C. Mohan and BJP state secretary Vinay Bidare were present at the press conference.
–IANS
mka/dan