I’M ON A MISSION: MODI
graft-hit opposition”.
Highlighting their achievements, 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, nateeje sahi” (right intentions lead to the right results).
Lauding CM Adityanath, he said, “Yogi ji won’t spare criminals or let up on law and order.”
Modi also hailed his government’s decision to scrap triple talaq (the instant divorce practice prevalent among Muslims), reaching out to the sizeable Muslim population of state and Saharanpur city.
“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. This is such a big decision that Muslim daughters would bless me for a very long time,” Modi said. He also talked about how special this year’s Ram Navami celebrations would be, seeing as it will be first after the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya last year — a decades-old promise of the BJP.
Launching scathing broadsides at the opposition parties in UP, he dismissed the alliance between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress as a “flop film” that has been “relaunched” and said the Congress’s manifesto, which was released on Friday, was out of touch with the aspirations and hopes of the common man.
He said the party today lacks vision for national development.
“The Congress party that fought for independence has today been rejected by masses... The party today lacks vision for national development and their manifesto makes it clear that Congress is cut off from aspirations and hope of the common man.”
“The Congress thinking today reflects the thinking of erstwhile Muslim League and leftists, and such a Congress can’t take the country ahead,” Modi said.
In the 2019 elections, the BJP won 62 seats while its ally Apna Dal (S) won two. Former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s SP won five seats. Its alliance partner Bahujan Samaj Party won on 10 seats, while the Rashtriya Lok Dal didn’t win a single seat. The Congress was victorious only in the Rae Bareli constituency, contested by senior leader Sonia Gandhi.
This time around, the RLD has joined hands with the BJP, where it will compete on one seat and BJP on 75. The SP and Congress, which are both members of the INDIA bloc, are contesting together with the former contesting 63 and the latter on 17 in the state.
“This is the first election I am seeing in which the opposition isn’t claiming to win but only referring to reducing BJP’S numbers,” Modi said, alleging that the SP was being forced to change candidates and the Congress was unable to find enough candidates.
Modi made similar remarks against the Congress at a rally in Pushkar, promising major decisions from his government if they return for the third term. In Saharanpur, he repeated the Bjp-led National Democratic Alliance’s goal of winning “400paar” (more than 400) seats in the Lok Sabha.
Addressing the “Vijay Shankhnad” rally, Modi said, “The third term of my government is not far. Within the first 100 days, the BJP government will take even bigger decisions and crackdown harder against corruption… I am already prepared… what has been done in the last ten years was just a trailer, lots more remains to be done.”
He was campaigning on behalf of Bhagirath Choudhary, the BJP candidate from Ajmer, and Jyoti Mirdha, a former Congress MP who switched to BJP last year and is now representing the party from the Nagaur seat.
Modi said Congress never cared for women and never understood their pain but coming from a humble background, he could empathise with women.
“India can only become developed and self reliant when 50% of the population is given encouragement. Respect, security and prosperity of women is Modi’s guarantee. That’s why all women are saying we will make Modi win, this is each woman’s guarantee,” he said.
He also slammed the previous Congress government in Rajasthan, saying there was only negative news during its tenure. “There was news of paper leaks, gang wars, atrocities on women, water scarcity and power struggle. But since the BJP has come to power, there is news of action against paper leak mafia, crackdown on criminals and gangsters, and starting of work on ERCP project that was stalled for decades… this push to development, only BJP can give,” he said. The BJP came to power in the state in the November 2023 Assembly elections.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 24 seats of Rajasthan’s 25 in 2019 elections. The RLD won the remaining one seat.
The Congress hit out at Modi, slamming him for making false promises.
Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi said BJP had made crime a big issue in the assembly elections but has failed to curb it.
“We brought schemes like MNREGA, Right to food, right to education and right to information. BJP has not given any such scheme in 10 years. The schemes which were running for people’s welfare in Rajasthan, the BJP has stopped,” Chaturvedi said. “Congress does work which is visible for all to see while PM has only given empty promises in 10 years.”
Addressing a public rally in Jaipur, party president 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?”