‘Working on making India a developed nation by 2047’
LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday claimed the Congress’ Lok Sabha poll manifesto which was released on Friday makes it clear that the party is cut off from the aspirations and hopes of the common man and said the party today lacks vision for national development.
Addressing a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Sahranpur, Modi said, “The Congress party that fought for independence has today been rejected by masses as people now admit that the Congress no longer exists as the party today lacks vision for national development and their manifesto makes it clear that the Congress is cut off from aspirations and hopes of the common man.”
He added: “The Congress thinking today reflects the thinking of erstwhile Muslim League and leftists and such a Congress can’t take the country ahead.”
Pitching the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as a ‘Mission vs Commission’ contest, Modi said that while he was working 24x7 on a mission mode to make India a developed nation by 2047, the “commission-seeking, graft-hit opposition” was ganging up against him.
He also added that there won’t be any let up on crackdown against the corrupt and that it would further intensify.
Modi also dismissed the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Congress alliance as a “flop film that had been relaunched”, appearing to refer to the 2017 UP poll results when the SP-Congress had teamed up unsuccessfully against the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Modi, who launched his Lok Sabha campaign from Meerut on March 31, was back again in west UP for his second rally in a week’s time, this time in Saharanpur, which has a sizeable Muslim presence and is among the 16 Lok Sabha seats the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had lost in UP in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Modi in his speech said his government’s decision to scrap “triple talaq” has helped scores of Muslim families.
“There are many who feel that this decision only benefitted Muslim women. In fact, this move to scrap triple talaq helped scores of families as a married girl is also someone’s daughter
and sister too. This is such a big decision that Muslim daughters would bless me for a very long time,” Modi said.
Modi also targeted the Congress over former party chief and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on ‘Shakti’.
“This is a revered land of Goddess Shakumbhari Devi. This is the place of Maa Shakti, and we are a country that never ignores worshipping Goddess Shakti. But it is the country’s misfortune that opposition alliance is openly challenging, claiming that they are up against Shakti. How can anyone do that? Our religious scriptures mention the fate that awaits those who tried to destroy Shakti,” he said.
Last month, during a rally in Maharashtra, Gandhi had said, “There is a word ‘Shakti’ (might) in Hinduism. We are fighting against a Shakti (might of the State). The question is, what is that Shakti and what does it entail for us?” The BJP had claimed the remark was against Hinduism and said it reflected Gandhi’s mindset.
Modi reiterated the BJPNDA’s ‘400 paar’ (400 plus) seat push and said this was the first time in the country’s electoral history that the Opposition was not talking of winning the elections but focused on merely reducing the BJP-NDA’s numbers.
“This is the first time that I am witnessing Opposition not talking about winning but about limiting our numbers. That shows the state of the opposition as the Samajwadi Party is changing candidates by the hour while the Congress is finding it difficult to even find candidates,” the PM said.
Modi said he and chief minister Yogi Adityanath were pushing for ‘vocal for local’ and ‘one district one product’ scheme. “We are also planning to open ‘Ekta Mall (Unity Mall)’ in each state to display the country’s unity. The stone that pelters threw in Kashmir are being used to develop a developed Kashmir,” he said adding “niyat sahi, nateeze sahi (right intention, right results).”
Lauding chief minister Yogi Adityanath, he said, “Yogi ji won’t spare criminals, or allow any let up on law and order.”
There was no immediate reaction available from the Congress to Modi’s comments.
The Congress’ manifesto, released in Delhi by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, was heavy on pledges connected to employment, social sectors and marginalised sections and focused on the party’s five “pillars” of justice or ‘nyay’, and 25 guarantees under them.
Hitting back at Modi, Kharge on Saturday said that, unlike Modi, his party does not make false promises.
Addressing a public rally in Jaipur, Mallikarjun Kharge said, “We have promised to fulfil 25 guarantees, if our party comes to power. Unlike PM Modi, we don’t tell lies. He has given several guarantees, but I want to ask you which guarantee has been fulfilled so far. He gave the guarantee to provide 2 crore jobs every year. So, in the last 10 years, he had to provide 20 crore jobs. I want to ask if you have got 20 crore jobs or not?”
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was also in the rally, alleged that the country’s big institutions that were formed to strengthen democracy have been weakened and today the situation is such that people do not have faith in the electronic voting machine.
According to the election schedule, eight parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls on April 19.
These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit.The counting of votes will be held on June 4.