The Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Saturday told farmers of the Baghpat Lok Sabha constituency that he would ensure development and end the dynastic misrepresentation that had flourished under Rashtriya Lok Dal chief and sitting MP Ajit Singh.
Urging the people to elect the party’s nominee Satyapal Singh, Mr. Modi said Mr. Ajit Singh could have developed Baghpat into a vibrant economy but preferred to seek power at the Centre and forgot the farmers. Baghpat needs a grassroots leader, said Mr. Modi, adding that the time had come to root out inefficient and power-seeking politicians. He was addressing a well-attended rally in Baraut.
Paying rich tributes to Choudhary Charan Singh, Mr. Modi said the former Jat Prime Minister was a man who lived for his constituents and would be remembered for his contributions to society.
Taking a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for attacking him over his links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Mr. Modi said he was “proud” of the ideology and the principles based on the “altar of sacrifice and service”. The Gandhis and the Congress, he claimed, had failed to counter this nationalistic ideology over the decades.
Mr. Modi said towns like Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad and Baghpat ought to have been developed into satellite towns to reduce the pressure on Delhi and improve the local economy.
