HUBBALLI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi sounded BJP’s Lok Sabha poll bugle in Karnataka on Sunday by taking a swipe at HD Kumaraswamy , calling him a “punching bag” heading a “majboor” (helpless) government that was at the mercy of alliance partner Congress . While keeping mum on the ongoing war of audio tapes, the PM said the ruling coalition MLAs were busy saving their own seat and “breaking each other’s heads” for the sake of power, plunging the state into crisis.“The entire country is witnessing a drama unfolding in Karnataka every day,” he said at a rally on the outskirts of Hubballi, which falls under Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency, about 450 km from Bengaluru. “Everyone is trying to protect their seats, and Kumaraswamy is receiving threats on a daily basis. He is spending all his energy in trying to save his chair. So much so that he even cried in public about his helplessness.”The Dharwad constituency in North Karnataka is a BJP bastion where the party has been winning since 1996. BJP stood for a “majboot” (strong) government, he said, while the Congress-led opposition wanted to impose the “majboor model” across India.“Do we need such a helpless model,” Modi asked the crowd, and answered, “The country wants a majboot (strong) model and not majboor model.”In a reference to the ugly hotel brawl between Congress MLAs Anand Singh and JN Ganesh, in which the former was injured and the latter is absconding, he said, “Everyone is involved in saving their seat. MLAs are fighting in hotels and breaking their heads. Many Congress leaders are fighting for supremacy in the party. It’s difficult to figure out who’s in charge of the state.”Without naming Robert Vadra, Modi said those who have amassed wealth through illegal means are today giving attendance before courts and investigation agencies in Delhi. “You are witnessing in Delhi who all are falling in line... About whose income people used to fear talking... they are made to make their appearances before court and agencies and answer questions. They are giving an account of their benami properties in the country and abroad,” he said.The PM reiterated his criticism of the HDK government’s farm loan waiver scheme, saying, “Since decades, they’ve been playing the same game. For votes, they come up with a deacdeold plan t o waive farm loans. They lie and in reality, the loans of only 25-30 out of 100 farmers are waived. There too, farmers get a few hundred rupees and rest goes to the middlemen.”Listing out the NDA government’s achievements, the PM said, “For the first time in history, taxable income of Rs 5 lakh a year has been kept out of the purview of taxation. This will benefit our young friends in Hubballi-Dharwad as most of the youth fall in this income group.” He said his PMKISAN Yojana, under which Rs 6,000 would be given to small farmers, will continue for years to come. “It costs Rs 7.5 lakh crore for the Union government in 10 years to pay Rs 6,000 per year for 12 crore farmers of the nation. It almost benefits 90% of farmers” he said.

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