Came with hope in 2014, trust in 2019, guarantee in 2024: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he went to people with hope in 2014 and trust in 2019, and is reaching out with a “guarantee” this year, as he outlined his pitch to voters two days before the crucial Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to kick off across the country.
He also said that the North-East plays a major role in making India a developed country, and accused the Congress and Communist parties of meting out “injustice” unlike his government, which “prioritised” the region.
Modi was addressing rallies in Nalbari in Assam and Agartala in Tripura – his first public meetings in the North-East for this year’s general elections – when he made the remarks. While polling in Tripura will be held during the first two out of the seven phases, voting in Assam will be held in the first three phases. “In 2014, I came to you with a ray of hope. In 2019, I came to you with a trust and today, I have come to Assam’s soil with a guarantee. Modi’s guarantee means it’s a guarantee of fulfilling a guarantee,” he said at Borkura ground in Nalbari.
The North-East states are a witness to Modi’s guarantee as the Congress had only given problems to the region but the BJP has made it a source of possibilities, he said. “Congress fuelled insurgency but Modi embraced people and brought peace in the region. What
could not be achieved in 60 years of Congress rule, Modi achieved it in 10 years,” he added.
At the rally, Modi said the birth celebrations of Lord Ram on Wednesday were held after 500 years with a “Surya Tilak” ceremony at the temple in Ayodhya. He asked people to switch on the flashlights of their mobile phones as rituals were being held at the temple. “We cannot join the celebrations in Ayodhya, but let us participate in the event by switching
on our mobile flashlights and sending light and prayers to Lord Ram,” he said.
Later in the day in Agartala, Modi hit out at the Congress and CPI(M), saying the two parties used to be arch-rivals in the northeastern state and were compelled to stitch an alliance to make sure their “loot ki dukaan” could run.
“When the Left used to rule Tripura and Congress was the principal opposition party, corruption took centre stage in governance.
There was an organised loot of resources. Just to protect this ‘loot ki dukan’, both parties have now entered into an electoral understanding,” he said at the rally held at Swami Vivekananda Maidan.
Hitting back, Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah said on X: “The Modi Sarkar has failed the people of the Assam & NE on every front…. Issues which was promised by him during last two parliamentary election campaign.”