While former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday launched an all-out attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi dismissing his pre-poll promises as "dramebazi', the Karnataka Chief Minister exuded confidence that Rahul would become next PM.
The slogans of 'sab ka saath, sab ka vikas' and 'na khaoonga, na khaane doonga' are only and only dramebazi (drama) and a trick to grab power," Sonia said, referring to Modi's promises of inclusive development and corruption-free governance.
Gandhi, in her address at the 84th Congress Plenary Session, gave a clarion call to the partymen to be ready for any kind of sacrifice to strengthen the party and to make the county free from discrimination, vendetta politics and arrogance.
She called upon them to forcefully fight against the challenges posed by the present dispensation and asked them to mount a struggle to free the country from the fear of power.
The Congress leadership also asserted that the Congress will retain power in Karnataka.
"No one can stop Rahul Gandhi (Congress president) from becoming the country's prime minister after the next general polls," Siddaramaiah said.
"It is going to be a secularism versus communalism contest (in Karnataka). The Congress is confident that under Rahul ji's leadership, we will come back to power with a thumping majority in the southern state, he said.
Siddaramaiah said the upcoming state polls will work as a "big boost" and a "stepping stone" for the party ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
"No one can stop Rahul Gandhi (Congress president) from becoming the country's prime minister after the next general polls," Siddaramaiah said.
"It is going to be a secularism versus communalism contest (in Karnataka). The Congress is confident that under Rahul ji's leadership, we will come back to power with a thumping majority in the southern state, he said.
The greater part of Siddaramaiah's speech was on the welfare programmes undertaken in Karnataka.
Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who also hails from the state, also exuded confidence in the party's electoral prospects.
Referring to the UPA's decision to waive farmers' loan, Kharge asked how much debt of peasants was written off by BJP-led governments.
He said the people have answered this question in Gorakhpur, where the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh lost to SP recently. Gorakhpur is Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's home turf.
And he (Adityanath) comes for campaigning in Karnataka, Kharge said while taking a dig at the priest-turned-politician.
The high-octane campaign for the Karnataka polls is underway with the heavyweights of both Congress and BJP canvassing in the state. The H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S) is the other major party in the fray.
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