From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, May 27: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar along with senior Congress leaders paid homage to India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and recalled Nehru’s contribution in building a modern India rooted in democratic and secular values.

The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister garlanded the portrait of Nehru at the KPCC Office on his death anniversary.

Speaking on the occasion, both the top functionaries said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started speaking “in a strange manner” as he is worried about the defeat of BJP and NDA in the Lok Sabha elections.

Siddaramaiah said Nehru built public sector enterprises and built dams across the country while Modi did nothing except selling the public sector undertakings. “Modi has not built a single dam or any public sector undertaking,” he said.

Nehru was a historian and farsighted leader with a great vision for building modern India and had served as Prime Minister for 17 long years, he said.

The Chief Minister said Nehru fought against the British and was jailed while RSS and the Sangh Parivar had not worked in the freedom struggle nor raise their voices against the British. It is ironical that BJP and RSS leaders are teaching nationalism to the country, he said.

Siddaramaiah ridiculed the claims of BJP of winning all the 28 seats in the State and asserted that the Congress party will 15 to 20 seats in Karnataka.

“Nehru-Gandhi family is Congress party’s asset”

Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar said the Nehru-Gandhi family is Congress party’s asset and said the country has rejected BJP and Modi for denigrating Nehru.

He said the Congress party will launch a new programme of “Congress family” to strengthen the organisation from the booth level from June 1.

He said he along with the Chief Minister will devote the entire day for party work by sitting the KPCC office to meet Congress workers.

“This government is not a government for 4 years but will last 10 years,” he said and asked partymen to strengthen the organisation at all levels starting from the booth level. All the Congress workers must work unitedly for the success of party candidates in the ensuing Council polls, he said.

He also announced that the party office on Race Course Road will be demolished and a new well-equipped building will be constructed.

KPCC Campaign Committee Chairman Vinayakumar Sorake, KPCC former president and health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, KPCC working president Dr G C Chandrashekar, Manjunath Bhandary, senior leaders Naseer Ahmed, B K Hariprasad, Rani Satish, Narayanaswamy and others were present.