Modi Says Congress' Motto is “Loot and Divide”

Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday mounted a scathing attack on the Congress, saying that its motto was “loot and divide.” Modi said that the Congress had been rejected by people in most states because the party when elected to power, indulged in corruption.

“Now, the Congress is trying to divide people based on caste, language and region to regain power," Modi said. “When Congress is in power, it loots. When it is out of power, the party tries to divide people to create unrest in the country. ‘Loot and divide’ are the oxygen of the Congress party.”

He was addressing the Jan Jatiya Mahasabha (tribal gathering) in Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh, after inaugurating and laying foundation stones for Rs 7,550 crore worth of development projects for the state.

Modi said that the country was watching the actions of the Congress and its allies and would not allow their plot to succeed.

“The Congress is now caught in the trap of its own sins. The more the party struggles to get out of it, the more it will find itself entangled in the trap," the Prime Minister said, adding that the Congress was never interested in the development of tribals and always treated them as its vote bank.

Modi accused the Congress of denying the tribals their rights and recognition for their contribution to society and the freedom movement. He said that it was the BJP governments in the state as well as at the Centre that undertook several measures to uplift the tribals and accord due recognition to them at the national level.

The Prime Minister said that the Centre had, for the first time, started a campaign to eradicate sickle cell anaemia, mostly prevalent in tribal areas. “For us, the tribal society is not a vote bank, but they are the pride of India. Your honour and your development are Modi’s guarantee," he said.

Exuding confidence that the NDA will cross the 400-seat mark in the impending general election, Modi said that now even the Opposition leaders have started saying “abki baar, 400 paar" for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Referring to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks in Parliament, Modi said, “Ek baat khushi ki rahi, unhone (Mr Kharge) 400 seats NDA ke ke liye ka ashirwad diya hai... (It is a matter of happiness for me that he has blessed the NDA to get more than 400 seats).”

Before addressing the rally in Jhabua, the Prime Minister held a roadshow. People gathered on both sides of the road to greet him by showering him with flower petals. Modi reciprocated by waving at them.

The Prime Minister also disbursed monthly installments to nearly 2 lakh women beneficiaries under the Aahar Anudan Yojana of the MP government. He distributed 1.75 lahks “adhikar abhilekh” (records of land rights) under SVAMITVA, which will provide documentary evidence to people for the right to their land.

He also laid the foundation stone for the Tantya Mama Bhil University, which will cater to the youth from tribal-dominated districts of the state.