PM Modi Attacks INDIA Bloc as "Scamsters" at Election Rallies in Bihar and UP
![PM Modi Attacks INDIA Bloc as Scamsters at Election Rallies in Bihar and UP PM Modi Attacks INDIA Bloc as Scamsters at Election Rallies in Bihar and UP](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/h-upload/2024/05/21/1091358-aa-2209830.webp)
NEW DELHI: The Opposition INDIA bloc is a “congregation of scamsters", which is communal, casteist and dynastic to the core, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday at two back-to-back election rallies in Bihar’s Champaran and Maharajganj. Continuing with his stinging attack on the Opposition alliance later in the day in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj and Varanasi, Mr Modi accused the Congress and the Samajwadi Party of pandering to their votebank and being "anti-development".
Addressing election rallies in Bihar, Mr Modi predicted a big blow for the Opposition alliance on June 4, when Lok Sabha poll results will be out.
The Prime Minister, who is seeking a third consecutive term in office, said that he considers the people of the country as his only "waaris” (successors).
“Modi has no personal ‘virasat’ (legacy). For me, you are my successor. I don’t have any other successors. So, I have to work very hard to ensure a bright future for you and your children,” he said.
The Prime Minister charged the RJD-Congress combine, which formerly ruled Bihar, with having brought disrepute to the land that gave the country its first President Rajendra Prasad.
Mr Modi pointed out that BIhar, in the 1990s, had become known for "rangdaari tax" (extortion) and the NDA, which has been in power for nearly two decades, has been working hard to bring to a halt the trend of large-scale migration to other parts of the country because of missing industries and job opportunities in the state.
The Prime Minister lambasted the Nehru-Gandhi family, which he referred to as the Congress' royal family, for ‘keeping mum’ over controversial remarks made by its leaders and allies against people of Bihar in states such as Punjab, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.
"Your vote is not just for electing your local MP but also to make your PM strong," he said, claiming that migrants from Bihar were treated well in Gujarat when he was the chief minister of that state.
The Prime Minister also launched indirect attacks on leaders like former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, whom he said were "born with silver spoons".
"The nation cannot move forward with the sins of the INDIA bloc, which stands for corruption, appeasement politics, represents the 'tukde-tukde' gang and a perverted mindset that heaps scorn on Sanatan Dharma," he said.
"This is the reason why the INDIA bloc was exhausted in the very first phase of the elections. In the subsequent phases, it was battered. In the remaining two phases, the trend will continue, and on June 4, when votes are counted, the results will come as a big blow to the intentions of the Opposition alliance," he claimed.
Targeting the Opposition bloc on the issue of corruption, Mr Modi said that the alliance does not look like a political front. "It appears to be a congregation of scamsters who are together responsible for corruption scandals worth `20-lakh crores," he alleged.
The Prime Minister claimed that the parties in the Opposition alliance have three common "evils". He said: "They are all communal, casteist and dynastic to a degree that is severe."
Referring to Tejashwi Yadav, whom he did not mention by name, he said, "I am told that the 'waaris of jungle raaj' has been saying I will be advised bed rest after the Lok Sabha elections. The 'shehzada' of the Congress says he wants to see me in tears. His party openly chants slogans like 'Modi teri kabr khudegi' (your grave will be dug)."
"These people have a counterpart in Uttar Pradesh (an allusion to Mr Yadav) who says I have reached the end of my life and hence contesting from Varanasi," said Mr Modi, adding that the remarks showed a lack of sensitivity on the part of those "born with silver spoons, who have never known what a life filled with struggles".
He also noted that the leaders of the INDIA bloc are furiously hurling "abuses and curses" at him as June 4 approaches. "They cannot accept that Modi is being elected by the people of the country for another five-year term," Mr Modi claimed.
In his speech, the Prime Minister also made a reference to the much-talked-about feast Mr Gandhi had enjoyed at former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav's residence last year.
"Those who refused the invitation to the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya had no problems in sharing a meal with the corrupt," he said.
Mr Modi also referred to Champaran as Mahatma Gandhi's "karma bhoomi" and his own roots in Gujarat, the "janmabhoomi (place of birth)" of Mahatma Gandhi.
Later, addressing a public rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, Mr Modi said that the Opposition Congress and the Samajwadi Party have been competing over the appeasement of their votebank. He called both parties anti-development.
"The SP and the Congress are more concerned about their votebank than Kumbh (mela)...This election will decide the direction in which the Triveni of India's future will flow," Mr Modi said.
The Prime Minister said that India is now known worldwide for its expressways and infrastructure and said that members of the INDIA block cannot digest the praise of India abroad.
Drawing parallels between the spirit of Prayagraj and the modern Indian ethos, Mr Modi said, "The people here do not live under pressure from anyone. Nor do they live in fear of anyone. The vitality I have seen in the people of Prayagraj is rarely found. And this is the temperament of today's India as well."
Addressing a women's conference in his Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency late on Tuesday evening, Mr Modi said that women were neglected during the Congress and the Samajwadi Party rule.
He also recalled Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav's infamous "boys will be boys" remark while lauding the Yogi Adityanath government on women's safety in Uttar Pradesh.
"The INDIA bloc's mentality has always been anti-women. The INDIA bloc opposes women's reservations. Wherever their government comes to power, it becomes difficult for women to live. The people of Banaras are familiar with the jungle raj in UP and Bihar. It was difficult for our sisters and daughters to step out of the house. Daughters had to leave their studies and stay at home due to safety concerns," he said, adding that for the first time, there is a government at the Centre that has cared about the dignity of women and provided them with respect.