Live reporting: Narendra Modi shares dais, praises Yeddyurappa in Davangere rally

Davangere(Karnataka): Former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, facing corruption charges, appeared on the dais with BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at a huge rally here today, in which Modi publicly praised the former BJP strongman. Modi praised Yeddyurappa for pioneering India's first farmers' budget, and his proposal to link rivers in Karnataka. The crowd applauded whenever Modi mentioned Yeddyurappa's named. At the end of the rally, Modi alongwith Yeddyurappa waved to people present at the venue. The crowd even lapped up the name of Shobha Karandalje, a close associated of Yeddyurappa, when Modi mentioned her while welcoming leaders present on the dais. In his hard-hitting speech, Modi replied to Rahul Gandhi's charge that BJP was silent about its ministers indulging in corruption. "I want to know from the Congress mahashay (gentleman) how many ministers in Rajasthan and Haryana are currently behind bars, and for what sins", asked Modi rhetorically. Modi hit out at the Congress saying, Congress and corruption are twin sisters, and corruption always takes birth in the womb of Congress.Here we are giving you live updates of this rally: 2:09 pm: Modi ends speech with Bharat Mata ki Jai, Vande Mataram. 2:08 pm: I want the help of the people of Karnataka for making our government in Delhi. I have got your love, now I want a Lotus from you. Send one Lotus from each Lok Sabha constituency from Karnataka. 2:06 pm: We have linked 20 small rivers in Gujarat, and our farmers in Gujarat are prosperous. I want to thank Yeddyurappa for keeping a separate farmers' budget. This was a pioneering effort in Karnataka. The crowd applauds on hearing Yeddyurappa's name. 2:05 pm: The moment Modi names Yeddyurappa, the crowd breaks into applause. Modi praised Yeddyurappa's proposal for linking rivers. 2:04 pm: Leaders who come from Delhi do not have a word of sympathy for farmers, One of the farmers immolated himself before Karnataka assemblty.1:58 pm: Why are the sugarcane farmers not getting better prices? Why are the textile factories of Davangere, once the Manchester of India, now closed? Why was cotton exports banned rendering thousands of people unemployed? Modi spells out his Farm-Fibre-Fabric-Fashion-Foreign mantra. Our farmers should get value addition. 1:57 pm: In the temple of India's democracy, pepper was sprayed into the eyes of MPs, and Congress was deeply embroiled in politics. Congress has no faith in the dignity of democracy.1:56 pm: Their leader (Rahul) said we brought bills in Parliament, but opposition is not allowing Parliament to function. He should not speak lies. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's ministers and MPs are entering the well and not allowing Parliament to function. Congress used to put dust in people's eyes, now it is putting chillies in the eyes of people: Modi1: 53 pm: For the last 60 years Congress is in power. When his father Rajiv Gandhi was PM, Congress was in power right from Centre, to states and till panchayat level, BJP was nowhere in the picture. Your father had said, only 15 paise out of a rupee reaches the poor. The nation wants to know, which was the Hand, which used to rub the rupee coin to convert it into 15 paise. Congress is the mother of all corruption. Corruption and Congress are twin sisters. So long as people get not rid of Congress, the nation cannot be rid of corruption: Modi1:48 pm: This mahashaya (Rahul) came here to express his concerns about women. If you are so much worried about women, at least reduce prices, so that our mothers and sisters can live in peace. The Congress had promised to reduce prices in 100 years. Did prices decline? Modi asks women. At least bring the price level back to Atal Bihar Vajpayee's level. Every day news comes on TV about rapes and gangrapes from Delhi. Is not Delhi the rape capital? Yet the Congress does not have any plan to protect women. I want to ask the mahashaya from Congress, if you have the courage tell the people of Karnataka and India, in Rajasthan alone, how many of your party leaders are in jail? At least, tell us for what sins they are in jail? In Haryana, there is Congress government, their minister is rotting in jail, for what sin? We don't want to open the kachha-chittha. But for God's sake, do not speak lies and stop misleading people : Modi 1:46 pm: Every Indian now knows your thinking, and wants to get rid of the Congress. The country is not ready to be damaged any more. The country is not ready to bear you any more. (Modi takes off his pugree because of sweating in hot weather). 1:42 pm: The Congress leader described India as a honeybee hive. Our ideology is that India is Bharat Mata. The Congress leader said, poverty is a state of mind. For us, the poor is "daridra narayan", to serve the poor is to serve God. Congress' thinking is that till the time we don't speak about the poor, we don't feel mazaa, but when we hear about the travails of poor, we lose sleep. That is the fundamental difference between the thinking of Congress and BJP. Their Prime Minister said, money do not grow on trees, we think, money grows from the sweat and labour of farmers. Their thinking is divide the Society and rule, our thinking is unite the Society and make it prosper. Their thinking is dynasticism, we believe in nationalism. Their thinking is poltiics is every such, for us, rashtra-niti(Statesmanship) is everything. 1:41 pm: Congress leaders claim it is not a party, it is a thought. When Gandhiji was alive, it was a thought, an ideology. But when the fake Gandhis have come, the Congress Party is not deep in thoughts, worried. Do they believe, others do not have thoughts? Are we worthless? I wanted to tell you the ideologies of Congress and BJP. I want to define these on the soil of Karnataka. 1:40 pm: There are four enemies of democracy : dynastic politics, casteism, communalism and opportunism. Congress is the only party which has all these four qualities. 1:37 pm: I am surprised with the lies they speak in front of people. They can speak anything. They have the power to enter a lake and come out dry. One of their leaders said there is no High Command in Congress. Do you believe such a lie? The entire party is in the hands of a single family : Modi. The entire country knows that there is no democracy worth the name in Congress. They dont believe in democracy. For them, democracy has a limited meaning, that is, to grab power through elections : Modi1:35 pm: The entire Congress Party is brimming with ignorance. If you want to save Hindusthan, to make the future of your young generation, if you want to think of the future, we need Congress-mukta Bharat. That is the only mantra we need. Congress has become a disease. Do not allow this disease even in a corner of the country, otherwise they will make a comeback again. 1:31 pm: The sky is turning hot now, and the political atmosphere is also turning hot. Two days ago, the mahanubhav from Congress came to Karnataka, the Congress President was in Kerala, I am surprised that Madam Soniaji, Rahulji are coming to the South, but close nearby is Andhra Pradesh, which is burning, and they don't have time to go there. Brothers and sisters, the people of Seemandhra and Telangana need the balm of peace, they have been badly wounded. These leaders do not have the time to go to AP. The people of AP had put them on the throne in Delhi, but today, whent he people of Andhra are in crisis, the leaders of Congress are unwilling to speak two words about them. Politics cannot be more cruel. The feelings and demands of the people of Seemandhra, post-Telangana, are being addressed. At least, the Congress leaders should address their concerns, but the Congress party is drunk with power and its arrogance at its zenith, that's why their leaders do not at all bother about the people. Leaders who do not bother about human beings, should we ever think of supporting such a Congress Party? Should they be punished? Will you punish them? asks Modi rhetorically.1:30 pm: I will make this area prosper and return your love with interest : Modi1:29 pm: I have never seen such a huge rally in Davengere. I promise to fulfil your tapasya (penance) you are observing by sitting in the sun for so long : Modi1:27 pm: As Modi utters Shobha's (close associate of Yeddyurappa) name, the crowd applauds. 1:26 pm: Narendra Modi begins speech.1:03 pm: Modi seated on the dais is being felicitated by BJP leaders, busy tying a pugree. Anantha Kumar and B S Yeddyurappa, two bitter rivals, are sitting with him on the dais. A big black shawl with the BJP symbol Lotus is offered to Modi. 9:15am - Flex banners of Mr. Modi and Mr. Siddeshwar erected all around the city9:00am - The police installs CCTVs along the route of Mr. Modi's convoy and at the venue. Sky sentries with rifles and binoculars posted at high-rise buildings all around the rally venue.8:05am- The police makes vast arrangements for the rally and more than 2,000 personnel deployed for scurity8:00am- BJP sets up eight screens at different points at the ground to help people watch the proceedings and speech of Mr. Modi.