Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 9 hit out at the Congress and said that it had run on a “very old mindset” for decades after Independence and that it had “neglected” the contribution and sacrifices of the common man after it came to power.
“They were filled with the arrogance of the freedom movement. The sacrifices made by the common man in the freedom movement were denied by the Congress as soon as it came to power. A small family became dominant and its mindset pushed the country towards backwardness,” Mr. Modi said, addressing a rally at Balaghat in the tribal-dominated Mahakoshal region of Madhya Pradesh.
Also Read | Different voices emerge in Congress despite party’s ‘no’ to Ram Temple pran pratistha
On his second visit to the State in three days, the Prime Minister urged the people to “wipe out” the Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
“In the Assembly polls, you completely wiped out the Congress. Now in the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress leaders are not fighting with the BJP but amongst one another,” said Mr. Modi.
The Prime Minister also launched attacks on the INDIA coalition and said that its leaders were “abusing and threatening” him to “stop the nation’s development”.
“The Congress now has formed an INDI Alliance and blown a bugle against the nation. They fight one another but say that they have come together to stop Modi. But in reality, they want to stop the development of the nation. This is why these people are abusing and threatening Modi,” he said.
The Prime Minister also alleged that the Opposition leaders “abuse” him for the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. “We can understand it if they only abuse Modi but the people of the INDI Alliance have sworn to destroy the Sanatan Dharma and entered the poll fray,” he said.
“Modi is a devotee of the Mahakal. Modi only bows down before the public. I have learnt to tolerate the abuses and insults to serve the country,” he added.
Mr. Modi also alleged that previous governments deprived the Dalit, tribal and backward communities of respect and identity, and that it was the BJP that gave them respect.
He said the work done by his government in the past 10 years are “just a trailer, like a fuljhadi (sparkler) on Deepavali”. “We have to take the rocket of development much higher now. We are yet to celebrate the real Deepavali with the full potential of India,” he said.
Referring to the recent rally held by the INDIA bloc leaders in Delhi, Mr. Modi said that the alliance leaders were “shamefully” holding gatherings to stop the action on the corrupt.
“I say end the corruption, they say ‘save the corrupt’. But I guarantee you that I will take out the corruption money from every locker. This task will go on at a faster pace in the next five years,” the Prime Minister said, seeking votes for a third term to be able to take more tough decisions.
Balaghat is among the six seats of Madhya Pradesh that are going to polls in the first phase on April 19.
The BJP has fielded Bharti Pardhi, a local councillor, after denying ticket to sitting MP Dhal Singh Bisen. The Congress has field Samrat Saraswat.
Earlier in the day, at a rally in Pilibhit of Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Modi attacked the INDIA bloc parties for rejecting the Ram Temple consecration ceremony invitation, accusing them of disrespecting Lord Ram continuously. “The Congress party and its partners have no regards for the tradition of our great nation. After 500 years, the dream of a grand Ram Temple is fulfilled in Ayodhya. People from across India and abroad celebrated it, contributing to the construction of the temple, but the Congress tried its best to stop the construction in Ayodhya. When the people of the country built such a grand temple and forgiving all mistakes invited them (Congress) for the consecration ceremony, these people insulted Lord Ram by rejecting the invitation,” said Mr. Modi, addressing an election rally in support of BJP candidate Jitin Prasad. The BJP denied ticket to sitting Lok Sabha member from the seat Varun Gandhi and fielded Mr. Prasad, who is the Public Works Minister in the U.P. government. Mr. Varun Gandhi was absent from the rally.
Mr. Modi accused the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) of following appeasement policies. “Both the Congress and the SP are fighting the polls in alliance. Following the appeasement policy, both parties are opposing Citizenship Amendment Act. Those Hindus and Sikhs who fled due to atrocities in foreign countries are our own people, and they should be given citizenship. The families staying in Pilibhit who have come from other countries will also benefit from CAA,” added the PM. The Sikh community constitutes a sizeable electorate in Pilibhit.
The PM targeted the Congress for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots while touching upon his government initiatives for the Sikh community. “The BJP always stood with the Sikh community and respects the sentiments of the community. We are full of pride for facilitating the movement of devotees along the Kartarpur corridor. Our government removed GST from the items used in langar, and we will continue to work tirelessly for the Sikhs and all citizens of our country,” he said.
Eight U.P. parliamentary constituencies — Kairana, Bijnor, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina (SC), Rampur, and Pilibhit — are going to polls on April 19.
