Addressing a rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday slammed the Congress for its electoral failures and said that the 125-year-old party was trying to form an ‘international alliance’ in a bid to topple the NDA government.
Modi echoed his party leaders and ministers – including party president Amit Shah – when he suggested that the Congress, having failed to form an effective national or regional alliance, is conspiring to form an ‘international alliance’ with certain ‘foreign’ countries in a bid to topple the NDA government.
He also said that the Congress was indulging in mud-slinging against the government because the party finds it easier than debating issues like development, in an apparent reference to allegations over the Rafale deal.
‘Congress Divided Nation With Vote Bank Politics’
Modi alleged that the Congress and other Opposition parties were pursuing vote bank politics which had destroyed the country like "termites”.
“The UPA government never allowed a BJP-led state to function. Congress has only divided the nation. We must eliminate vote bank politics," Modi said.
“Vote bank politics has destroyed the nation like termites in the first 70 years of Independence. It is the BJP’s responsibility to save the country from the divisive politics of the Opposition.”Narendra Modi, Indian Prime Minister
Addressing a workers' meet in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Modi also attacked the Congress for the instant triple talaq issue. "They (Opposition) are doing it just for the sake of saving their chair even at the cost of damaging the social fabric. But we believe in 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'," he said.
Referring to the instant triple talaq issue, Modi said the practice is not acceptable even in Islamic countries. The Congress had earlier accused the Modi government of treating the issue of instant triple talaq "more as a political football than a matter of justice to Muslim women".
‘Rahul Must Introspect’
In a direct attack at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Modi said that the Rahul-led Congress and its workers should introspect why the party is in this condition now. “We lost in 1984. But we didn't criticise EVM machines. We looked inwards instead," he said.
The 125-year-old party had been reduced to such a condition that it was “begging” small parties for alliances, he added.
He said that the party was only focussed on divisive vote bank politics and not on development. "But I want to tell them, the more you throw mud at us, the more the lotus (the BJP’s symbol) will bloom.”
‘Congress A Burden On Country’
“The UPA government never allowed a BJP-led state to function. Congress has only divided the nation and are a burden. We must eliminate their vote bank politics," Modi said.
‘Punish Congress For Neglecting Development’
"'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' isn't just an election slogan, it is a necessary path for the entire country. It is the BJP’s guiding principle. I implore the public to ask the previous Congress government why they could not achieve what we did in the past few years in Madhya Pradesh.
Congress could have also managed it, but the party neglected development. Now is the time to punish them for not looking after the welfare of the state," Modi said.
"The UPA government used to take pride in conspiring against BJP-ruled state governments. When UPA was in power, they were enemies of BJP-ruled states,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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