New Delhi/Hoshiarpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a blistering attack on the Congress on Thursday, accusing it of "strangling" the Constitution during the Emergency and neglecting it during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. As the campaigning for the seven-phased 2024 Lok Sabha elections drew to a close, Modi addressed his final rally in Hoshiarpur, Punjab.
"Congress talks about the Constitution, but it was the same party that strangled it during the Emergency," said Modi. "When Sikhs were being burned with tires around their necks during the 1984 riots, they did not think of the Constitution.”
All seats in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, along with the remaining seats in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Chandigarh, and West Bengal, will go to the polls in the seventh phase on June 1.
Campaigning for BJP candidates Anita Som Parkash in Hoshiarpur and Subhash Sharma in Anandpur Sahib, Modi also addressed issues of reservation, corruption, and the Ram Temple. He criticised the Congress and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, claiming they posed a threat to the reservation system for SC, ST, and OBC communities. "In the 10 years of my government, I have continuously protected the reservation of SC-ST-OBC. Congress and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc are furious about my efforts. Their entire track record is about snatching the reservation of SC-ST-OBC," he said.
Modi labelled Congress as the "mother of corruption," accusing it of corrupt practices over six decades and aligning with other deceitful parties. "Congress is the mother of corruption and has done a double Ph.D. in corruption in 60 years. And now another corrupt party has joined Congress. These people have ruined both industry and agriculture in Punjab," he asserted.
The Prime Minister also accused the Opposition of exploiting the military for political gains and undermining the armed forces. He emphasised his commitment to modernising and strengthening India’s defence capabilities. "The Opposition made the Army a weapon of politics, and there cannot be a bigger sin than this," he said.
Modi warned the I.N.D.I.A. bloc against underestimating him. "I am telling the I.N.D.I.A. bloc that I am silent. Do not make any mistake in understanding Modi. The day Modi opens his mouth, I will bring out all your sins -- 'saat peedhi ke paap' (sins of seven generations)," he declared.
He condemned the Opposition's stance on the Ram Temple and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), attributing it to their appeasement politics. Modi criticised their failure during the partition, especially regarding Kartarpur Sahib, and highlighted his government's achievements in the last decade, emphasising increased respect for India globally.
Expressing confidence in the BJP's electoral prospects, he said, "Today the country has new aspirations, new hopes, new confidence. After decades, a majority central government is going to score a hat-trick. Every Indian is connected with this dream, and that’s why they are blessing us."
Modi invoked Guru Ravidas, citing him as an inspiration for his work towards the welfare of the poor. "Guru Ravidas Ji used to say, ‘I desire such a rule, where everyone has food.’ In the past 10 years, we have provided free grain and free treatment facilities to the poorest of the poor," he noted.
Concluding his campaign in Hoshiarpur, which he referred to as ‘Chotti Kashi’, Modi drew a parallel with Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency and the birthplace of Guru Ravidas. "Ending the election campaign here is nothing short of a blessing," he said.
