BHOPAL: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday poked fun at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for pledging to end poverty in a “single stroke”, wondering: “Where was this ‘shahi jaadugar’ (royal magician) hiding all these years?”
Addressing a rally at Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh, Modi said that the whole country was stunned when the “Congress ke shehzade” (prince of the Congress) made a pledge to remove poverty in one stroke.
Addressing a public meeting at Lal Bahadur Shastri Ground in the village of Bastar in Bastar district in Chhattisgarh on Saturday, Gandhi had said he would end poverty in the country in one stroke if the Congress was voted to power in the general election.
“Fifty years ago, his (Rahul Gandhi’s) grandmother (Indira Gandhi) made a similar pledge to remove poverty. For 10 years till 2014, he (Mr Gandhi) remotely controlled the (UPA) government. Now suddenly, he claims to have found the ‘jhatka vala mantra’ to eliminate poverty in a jiffy. Where could they get the mantra from? Is it not a mockery of the poor? … That’s why (for making such remarks), they have become a subject of ridicule across the nation,” Modi said.
Modi said that for decades after Independence, only one family from the Congress either directly or through remote control ruled the country. This family had imposed an Emergency and the Congress used to dismiss democratically-elected governments whenever they wanted like a “house of cards.” But the Congress says that democracy was doing well then, Modi said.
“As soon as Modi became Prime Minister, the Congress started spreading rumours that the Constitution and democracy would be in danger”, the PM said.
“Now, the ‘shahi parivar’ (royal family) of the Congress has sounded a warning that the country would be on fire if Modi gets a third term in power. They had made similar warnings in 2014 and 2019 (general election). Has any such thing happened,” Modi questioned.
He added: “The fire is not in the country, but the fire and jealousy are in their hearts. This jealousy is eating them from within. This jealousy is born in them due to the love of 140 crore countrymen for Modi.”
Modi said that the Congress has gone crazy after being out of power for 10 years, and if they don’t realise it, then jealousy would push the party beyond the point of the revival.
He also accused Congress of humiliating the maker of the Constitution, Dr B.R. Ambedkar. Paying tribute to Dr Ambedkar on his birth anniversary on Sunday, Modi said that the Congress had slighted the “Father of the Constitution”, but the “BJP feels privileged to give him respect”.
“Because of the Constitution made by Babasaheb, today Modi, the son of a poor mother, is seeking your blessing to serve for the third time”, he said.
Referring to the poll manifestos of the Opposition parties, Modi said as there are many parties in the Opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc, hence there are many manifestos. “The Opposition could not agree on a common manifesto. How will they run a government? Moreover, there are many dangerous promises in their manifestos that will make India financially bankrupt. Another manifesto also makes a dangerous promise of ridding India of nuclear weapons,” he said.
“Can anyone think of a nuclear-free India in such a dangerous situation”, he wondered.
He said that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc “is unable to comprehend that a manifesto is a responsibility as well as the commitment to the people of the country”.
Mr Modi further said the Congress never recognised the contributions made by tribal freedom fighters and talked about his government’s plans to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of “Bhagwan Birsa Munda”, the revered tribal leader, in 2025 as “Janjatiya Gaurav Vars”. He said that an allocation of Rs 24,000 crore has been made for the uplift of backward tribes among the indigenous population.
