Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Congress, saying the party’s decision to replace its chief minister in Karnataka reflected growing public anger against its government and asserting that Congress’s “politics of seeking opportunity in anarchy” had been repeatedly rejected by voters across the country.
Addressing a public gathering in Surat after inaugurating development projects worth over ₹18,800 crore, Modi said, “The politics of a crumbling Congress — of seeking opportunity in self-created anarchy — will not work. In Karnataka too, there is deep anger among the people against the Congress government. And that is precisely why Congress is having to change its chief minister in Karnataka.”
Karnataka chief minister M.S. Siddharamaiah was replaced by D.K. Shivakumar on June 3.
Citing the recent election results in West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab, Modi said, “The people of this country are giving Congress a resounding answer time and again. For the past twelve years, Congress has been spreading anarchy and uncertainty to seek opportunities for itself. Every such election carries one clear message: that the country does not want anarchy, uncertainty and despair.”
He said that the results of the recently held West Bengal Assembly elections, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defeated the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and formed the government, were widely discussed even during his recent five-nation foreign tour.
He said that in Himachal Pradesh, where the Congress is in power, the party lost badly in the recently held local body elections. “The people of Himachal have rejected Congress misrule,” he said, adding that Congress had also faced defeat in Haryana local body elections and received a clear message from Punjab voters.
“India has moved far beyond negativity. This is a nation of self-assured optimism, a nation of extraordinary aspirations,” he said.
“Today, a large section of the Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway has been inaugurated. This will provide better connectivity between two of the country’s major industrial and trade centres. Friends, our endeavour is to connect — to give everyone respect, opportunity, and convenience. Remote areas, tribal regions that have long been deprived of facilities — modern connectivity is reaching them today. The Dahod-Bodeli-Vapi corridor is a reflection of this very resolve. Just imagine — four-lane connectivity is now reaching from the Narmada to Vapi. This will significantly reduce travel time and lower freight costs. People in tribal and rural areas will get better access to education, medicine, and livelihood,” Modi said.
He said that the Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway would strengthen economic and logistical ties between Gujarat and Maharashtra. “This will provide better connectivity between two of the country’s major industrial and trade centres,” he said, adding that the corridor would connect Chhota Udaipur, Narmada, Bharuch and Tapi districts to the industrial belt and give a boost to tourism in South Gujarat, including smoother access to the Statue of Unity and Saputara hill station.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated a 220-bed hospital in Surat, saying it would serve migrant workers from other states alongside local residents. “This hospital will become a new centre of better healthcare services for our worker brothers and sisters and their families. Those who have come from other states in search of employment will also benefit greatly from this hospital,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister also visited the Hazira facility of Larsen & Toubro, where he reviewed indigenous defence manufacturing, including artillery and armoured systems.
