<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, mentioned the "old injury" to former prime minister H D Deve Gowda in an attempt to widen the rift in the JD(S)-Congress coalition, during campaigning for Mysuru-Kodagu and Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituencies here on Tuesday.</p>.<p>Without taking Congress president Rahul Gandhi's name, referring to him as 'namdaar,' he said Gandhi chose Wayanad in Kerala as his second constituency and not one from Karnataka because his mother Sonia Gandhi suspected the JD(S).</p>.<p>"She feared that the JD(S) and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will avenge the ouster of party supremo Gowda as prime minister in 1997, which was effected at the behest of Sonia Gandhi,” he said.</p>.<p>Modi referred to the functioning of the coalition government and elaborated on the 'Congress model' of governance and how it treats its alliance partners. “The Congress is using Kumaraswamy as a punching bag and is blackmailing him. The Congress is holding the government to ransom,” he said.</p>.<p>Modi made an apparent appeal to first-time voters to support the BJP to take the country to new heights in the 21st century.</p>.<p>Praising the late actor-turned politician Ambareesh, he appealed to the people of Mandya constituency to vote for Independent candidate Sumalatha. “Ambareesh, along with his wife Sumalatha, strived to uphold the pride and culture of Kannada. Ambareesh lives on in the hearts of the people,” Modi said.</p>.<p>The prime minister began his speech in Kannada and ended it by saying slogans in Kannada. He invoked the presiding deity of the city Chamundeshwari and other gods. Modi also paid obeisances to the religious institutions of the region, the Wadiyars and Sir M Visvesvaraya. There was no Kannada translation of his speech. The weather was pleasant as the city received the first summer showers on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, mentioned the "old injury" to former prime minister H D Deve Gowda in an attempt to widen the rift in the JD(S)-Congress coalition, during campaigning for Mysuru-Kodagu and Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituencies here on Tuesday.</p>.<p>Without taking Congress president Rahul Gandhi's name, referring to him as 'namdaar,' he said Gandhi chose Wayanad in Kerala as his second constituency and not one from Karnataka because his mother Sonia Gandhi suspected the JD(S).</p>.<p>"She feared that the JD(S) and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will avenge the ouster of party supremo Gowda as prime minister in 1997, which was effected at the behest of Sonia Gandhi,” he said.</p>.<p>Modi referred to the functioning of the coalition government and elaborated on the 'Congress model' of governance and how it treats its alliance partners. “The Congress is using Kumaraswamy as a punching bag and is blackmailing him. The Congress is holding the government to ransom,” he said.</p>.<p>Modi made an apparent appeal to first-time voters to support the BJP to take the country to new heights in the 21st century.</p>.<p>Praising the late actor-turned politician Ambareesh, he appealed to the people of Mandya constituency to vote for Independent candidate Sumalatha. “Ambareesh, along with his wife Sumalatha, strived to uphold the pride and culture of Kannada. Ambareesh lives on in the hearts of the people,” Modi said.</p>.<p>The prime minister began his speech in Kannada and ended it by saying slogans in Kannada. He invoked the presiding deity of the city Chamundeshwari and other gods. Modi also paid obeisances to the religious institutions of the region, the Wadiyars and Sir M Visvesvaraya. There was no Kannada translation of his speech. The weather was pleasant as the city received the first summer showers on Tuesday.</p>