New Delhi, Bengaluru, Nanded: Dubbing the Congress a “vine with no roots or branches that sucks dry those who support it”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday cautioned people to be wary of the Opposition alliance as an impediment to realising the goals of "Viksit Bharat".
He said big and powerful people in India and abroad have joined hands to remove him from power. Modi also claimed that the first phase of voting for the 18th Lok Sabha on Friday has gone in favour of the NDA and Viksit Bharat.
The Prime Minister addressed four election rallies on Saturday — two each in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Both Nanded and Parbhani are located in Marathwada region of the state.
Leading the campaign for the BJP, Modi addressed the first rally in Maharashtra’s Nanded, followed by a public meeting in Parbhani. Ge accused the Congress of leaving no stone unturned to “stifle the development of Maharashtra, especially Vidarbha and Marathwada, for decades.”
Modi claimed that the Congress has accepted its defeat even before the Lok Sabha poll results are out. Taking a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he said that just as he lost from Amethi in 2019, the "Congress' sahabzade" will lose the Wayanad parliamentary seat this time.
At the Parbhani rally, the PM said the 2024 polls are not just to form the government at the Centre but also to make India developed and self-reliant.
“The Congress is a vine that doesn't have roots or branches. It sucks dry those who lend support to it,” Mr Modi said, hitting out at the Opposition party.
Accusing the Congress of partitioning the country, Mr Modi claimed that the Congress did not allow the Constitution to be implemented in Kashmir under the pretext of Article 370.
Hitting out at the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra, Modi said the Congress and the "fake Shiv Sena", a reference to Shiv Sena (UBT), were busy decorating Yakub Memon's grave. Memon, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, was hanged in 2015.
"When the INDIA bloc (the Opposition alliance) was in power, they did not make (people) feel that the Nizam rule had ended. The Razakar mentality was overwhelming here. Their priority was (to decorate) Yakub Memon's grave," he said.
Modi said people saw the success of the Chandrayaan mission and in the next term, 140-crore Indians will witness Gaganyaan's success. He said this is the first election where people are talking about the success of "Atmanirbhar Bharat", from the anti-coronavirus vaccine to weapons for the armed forces.
At the Nanded rally, he accused the Congress of being a barrier in the path of development and said it cannot be trusted to work for the country's progress.
Apparently targeting former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Modi said some I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders who have been members of the Lok Sabha for several years have left the Lower House of Parliament and found a seat in the Rajya Sabha as they lack confidence to fight elections.
Referring to Gandhi, he said, "The Congress' sahabzade sees a problem in Wayanad. He is waiting for the voting on April 26, after which he and his gang will look for a safe seat because after Amethi, he will have to leave Wayanad as well."
In Karnataka’s Chikkaballapura, the PM said big and powerful people in India and abroad have joined hands to remove him from power.
“Mothers and sisters have come in a large number here. Your struggle and the challenges you face to nurture your family... Modi has seen all of it in his house... These days big and powerful people in the country and abroad have united to remove Modi…But, because of Nari Shakti and Maatru Shakti's blessings and suraksha kavach (safety armour), Modi is able to keep on fighting challenges,” said the PM.
Praising alliance partner JD(S)’s patriarch and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda, who shared the stage with him, for his energy and commitment at the age of 90, Modi said he too draws inspiration from him.
"His (Mr Gowda) commitment towards Karnataka, the pain in his heart for the plight of Karnataka today and the 'josh' in his voice, is the testimony for Karnataka's bright future," he said, as he thanked Gowda for his "blessings".
In Bengaluru, the PM hit out at the state’s ruling Congress for turning a “tax city into a tanker city.”
“The budget is being cut from agriculture to urban infrastructure. The Congress is only focused on corruption and not on the problems of Bengaluru… Developing Karnataka is our priority…we are building modern infrastructure in the state,” said the PM.
