PC Mohan banks on Modi image amid anti incumbency

Maqsood Maniyar | NT

Bengaluru: BJP’s Bang alore Central candidate PC Mohan insisted that national issues and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charisma will win the Lok Sabha elections for the saffron party, adding that the same will be the case in his seat. Speaking exclusively to New Trail, the three-time MP said: “National issues will dominate.”

“They will vote based on Modi’s popularity and the local MP’s performance,” he added.

Mohan claimed that the anti-incumbency narrative against him deployed by Congress candidate Mansoor Ali Khan was unfounded.

“There is no anti-incumbency against PC Mohan or BJP generally,” Mohan said.

He also sought to reject the rhetoric by the state Congress that the issues pertaining to Karnataka’s rights were not being raised by the BJP MPs fearing Modi’s wrath.

“Whatever has to come to Karnataka, its share, the Central government has given and Modi ji believes in ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ (fraternity with and development for everyone),” he said.

Sub-urban rail in 40 months: MP

Mohan said that his service delivery had been good, mentioning infrastructure projects like the suburban rail, which he reckons will be functional in 40 months.

“For the last 40 years, people have been dreaming of the suburban rail. Last year, Narendra Modi ji did the groundbreaking ceremony for the same. For this, I have been fighting inside Parliament for the last 15 years. I’m happy that the project will be completed in another 40 months. About 10 lakh people will travel in it (suburban rail). People know that I was the one who pioneered to get this project done,” he said.

“Bharatiya Janata Party is a non-corrupt party. For the last 10 years, there is no track record (of corruption). Unlike the UPA (United Progressive Alliance), 10 years under Manmohan Singh, corruption was there. About Rs 12 lakh crore corruption was there. Now that Modi ji is here, there has been no corruption in the last 10 years,” he added.

‘All parties accepted electoral bonds’

When questioned about BJP era scandals like the disclosure of electoral bond data, he said that “all parties had accepted” donations through the interest-free, tax-exempt cashable instruments.

As per State Bank data, the BJP received Rs 8,251.8 crore of Rs 16,518 crore encashed through electoral bonds between April 12, 2019 and January 11, 2024, making the saffron party the recipient of nearly half of the donations.

Moreover, the ruling party is accused of using raids by agencies to elicit donations, besides giving contracts worth lakhs of crores to corporates that contributed to it.

Mohan also claimed before an audience of apartment residents that Modi stopped the war between Ukraine and Russia, a claim denied by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Baghchi, back in March 2022.