Kanpur: Blowing the poll bugle in populous Uttar Pradesh, BJP Prime Ministerial candidate for next Lok Sabha polls Narendra Modi on Saturday lambasted the Congress and its supporting parties-the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party-for pursuing parochial politics of dividing the society on caste and religion lines and chanted his party’s ‘vikas mantra’ to garner votes.
In his maidan rally in the state, which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, Modi charged up the party cadres and people to oust the Congress at the Centre which he described as ‘corrupt’.
Lacing his charges, the Gujarat Chief Minister said not only ‘coalgate’ files were missing but “the government in Delhi was also missing”. “The Congress is mocking the poor people of the country. Time has come to punish it in the next Lok Sabha polls,” he said addressing a huge gathering in the state where the BJP was making all out efforts to regain its base.
Attacking the Congress-led UPA Government on the issues of price rise and corruption, Modi said in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the ruling party had promised to take steps to check price rise but it ‘failed’.
He also slammed Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi alleging that both the leaders never spoke a single word on price rise and corruption.
“Price rise has affected the poor people severely but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Congress’ shahjada (referring to Rahul) never spoke a single word on price rise,” Modi said.
He accused the Congress leaders of mocking the poor people.
“Those who were born with golden spoon in their mouth can’t understand poverty. They visit houses of poor to see poverty with a number of camerapersons. I was born in poverty, I lived poverty,” Modi said in an obvious attack on Rahul.
He alleged that the Congress leaders were adding insult to injury of the common man by giving statements that one can have a meal in Mumbai for Rs 12.
“Those people who are mocking poor people can’t work for poor people. Time has come to punish them,” he commented.
Modi slammed the UPA Government on alleged coal scam saying that “pollution in Kanpur was due to coal scam”.
Referring to charges made by former Coal Secretary PC Parakh against the Prime Minister, the BJP leader said such allegations were never levelled against any prime minister before.
Modi said instead of giving answers on the issues of corruption and price rise, the Congress leaders were talking about him and Gujarat.
“I have worked for Gujarat and the people of the state passed me in the exam in December 2012. The Congress leaders should talk about the government at Delhi and its performance in the last ten years. But they have no answer,” he added. (UNI)