Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remark suggesting that there will be a “conflagration” in the country if he gets a third term and asked the people to wipe out the Congress from everywhere.
Addressing his first election rally in Uttarakhand, Modi said he is being threatened and abused by the corrupt but there will be even bigger action against corruption after his re-election.
“The Congress and INDIA Alliance have made their intentions clear. Congress’s royal family shehzada (prince) has threatened there will be fire if Modi gets another term in office. Staying out of power has made them so desperate that they are now talking about setting the country afire. Would you let them do it? Is this the kind of language used in a democracy? Wouldn’t you punish them?” Modi said.
At an INDIA Bloc rally in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi had said if the BJP wins the election through “match-fixing” and changes the Constitution, then the country would be on “fire” and would not survive.
“The Congress, with its Emergency-mindset, no longer has faith in democracy. Therefore, it is busy instigating people against the electoral mandate,” the Prime Minister alleged.
He accused the Congress of pushing the country towards instability and anarchy and asked the people to wipe it out from everywhere.
He said a big Congress leader in Karnataka recently spoke of separating south India from the country and dividing it.
But instead of punishing him, the party has given him a ticket to contest the polls, he said, apparently referring to Congress leader DK Suresh.
The Prime Minister also accused the Congress of insulting the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, who hailed from the hill State.
He alleged that the Congress, which encouraged infiltrators, was troubled the most when the BJP brought CAA to give citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
“The Congress is sunk so deep in the morass of appeasement that it cannot think of national interest,” he alleged. He also talked about how the “weakness” of Congress Governments had led to the “country’s division” and the “ceding” of Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara from Indian Sikhs.
Modi also raised the Katchatheevu island issue, holding the Opposition party responsible for giving the island to Sri Lanka during its rule. “Talking about patriotism does not suit a party like the Congress,” he said.
In the 2024 general election, there are two distinct camps “of those in favour of honesty and transparency on the one side and the corrupt and dynasts (parivarwadis) on the other”, Modi said.
“We are saying eliminate corruption and they are saying save the corrupt,” he said referring to the Congress and other constituents of the opposition INDIA Bloc.
Modi said he is being threatened and abused by the corrupt but the action against them will go on as he hears the voice of the country against corruption.
“I want to guarantee you that at the start of the third term... Even bigger blow will be dealt to corruption,” he said.
“Don’t you think the corrupt should go to jail? The corrupt are threatening and abusing me. But they can’t deter me. Action against each one of the corrupt will continue,” Modi said.
He said more development work has been done in Uttarakhand over the last 10 years than in 60-65 years before that.
“In the third, your son will do one more big work. To ensure you get 24-hour electricity, zero electricity bill and also earn money from electricity, Modi has started Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana,” Modi said.
He said the Government is providing assistance to people to set up solar power panels on their roofs under the scheme.
Middle-class households consuming about 300 units of power on an average will not only get it free but can also earn by selling surplus solar power to the Government, Modi said and asked the people to start applying for the scheme.
In Uttarakhand, Modi said, 85000 pucca houses have been given to people, water connections have been given to 12 lakh households, 5.5 lakh toilets have been built and free LPG connections have been given to more than five lakh women under the Ujjwala Yojana.
He said 35 lakh people who did not have bank accounts have their accounts now, Rs 2200 crore have been credited directly into the accounts of small farmers.
“One could wonder how so much work is being done by the Modi Government. Development happens when the intentions are right. Right intentions lead to good results,” he said.
Asking people to further strengthen him, Modi said India will be the third biggest economy in the world in his third term which means an increase in people’s income and better employment opportunities. “Modi’s guarantee means fulfilment of the guarantee,” he said.
