New Delhi: Congress will win at least 130 seats in Karnataka says M Veerappa Moily

New Delhi : Asserting that "winds of change" are blowing in Karnataka, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily on Sunday claimed that his party will win at least 130 seats in the upcoming assembly polls and the gateway to South India for the BJP will be "totally closed".

He also asserted that Karnataka has always played a crucial role in the formation of the government at the Centre and a victory in the upcoming assembly polls there will pave the way for the formation of a Congress-led government in 2024. In an interview with PTI, former Karnataka chief minister Moily predicted that the Congress would not get any less than 130 seats in the 224-member assembly while the BJP would not cross the 60-mark in the May 10 assembly polls.

He also accused the Janata Dal (Secular) of colluding with the BJP and said people will reject the H D Deve Gowda-led outfit's "politics of opportunism". "The winds of change are blowing in favour of the Congress. The BJP is totally in tatters. There is no unity and solidarity in the rank and file of the BJP and many of them are quitting after being denied tickets and seeking shelter under the Congress or some other party," Moily said.

Alleging a total failure of governance under the Basavaraj Bommai government of Karnataka, the former Union minister claimed "corruption is rampant" in the state with the BJP dispensation "classified as a 40 per cent commission" one. The BJP talked about a double engine government but could not get a single project cleared, he claimed. "Not even a single big industry has come up (under BJP rule), no jobs have been created and many of the vacancies are still pending including that of teachers. Corruption is the talk of every street in Karnataka," Moily alleged.

He said that even after the judgment in a tribunal giving Karnataka more share of water from the Krishna river, the BJP government has not issued a notification as a result of which the state has been denied its legitimate share of water.

Asked about the BJP banking on the 'Modi factor' and how the Congress would overcome a campaign blitz by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Moily said, "I don't think in Karnataka that will happen. They tried it in Tamil Nadu but could not succeed.