Congress a ‘parasite’, says PM Narendra Modi; targets DMK split

BENGALURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, accused the opposition Congress of being a parasite in the wake of its separation from long-standing ally DMK in Tamil Nadu."DMK stood with Congress for three decades and repeatedly rescued Congress during crises. The UPA government before 2014 also survived because of DMK’s support. But the moment political equations shifted, power-hungry Congress stabbed DMK in the back... Now Congress is searching for another party to ride on as a parasite."Talking to thousands of supporters who gathered at HAL Airport to greet him before he set out to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living International Center, Modi took about 30 minutes out to address the gathering. State leaders attempted to consolidate support with an 'anti-Bangladesh' and 'save Hindu' motto.Modi listed out the collapse of the Congress in different states: In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress-led government has not been able to pay salaries; in Telangana, farmers are being driven to suicide; and in Karnataka, governance has taken a back seat due to internal conflict.While he said the Congress ecosystem is hoodwinking the country by focussing on how a government has not been formed in Tamil Nadu, he added: "But in Kerala, despite having a majority, to form the govt, they are unable to decide on ministers either -- should they use the 2.5-year formula or the one-year-per-CM formula? A solution is still not at hand."He pointed at a pattern of 'backstabbing party MLAs' after making promises to them. "This has happened in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and it continues in Karnataka; now, it's Kerala's turn," said Modi.While stating that the BJP was continuously expanding in the South, and that people wanted "speed, scale, solutions and politics driven by national policy", he said the BJP, which has now obtained three seats in Kerala, is reaching a stage where victory is no longer far away in the state.