Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked the voters of Jharkhand to enable the BJP secure a majority in the Assembly elections for political stability.
Mr. Modi told an election meeting at Chiabasa that Jharkhand is blessed with abundant mineral and natural resources, yet the people are poor because of political instability.
Mr. Modi asked the voters not to give a fractured mandate as people know the difficulties of coalition politics and promised that the party would utilise the state’s resources for developing the state.
“Have faith in Chaiwala (tea seller) and give majority to BJP (to form a government),” he said promising to develop the State like the BJP-ruled states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh.
He claimed that if tribespeople loved any party it was the BJP as they prospered in BJP-ruled States.
Appealing to the voters of 14 Assembly segments of the Kolhan Division with all the party candidates being present in Chaibasa, the Prime Minister said, “I do not talk big like the previous government (at the Centre), but I do small things for the benefit of the poor and the downtrodden.”
Thirteen out of the 14 seats in Kolhan are going for second phase polling in the State on December 2, 2014.
Mr. Modi also asked the people to vote out the politics of dynasty and nepotism and usher in development for Jharkhand, which he said had the potential to become a number one state in the country.
Referring to India’s foreign relations, Mr. Modi said the world leaders were shaking hands not with him but for the power of 125 crore people of the country.
Without naming the Congress, Mr. Modi alleged that the previous governments during the last 60 years had misguided the poor, gave false promises and had done nothing for the welfare of tribal.
Lambasting the Congress for allegedly failing to address tribal communities, Mr. Modi said it was the erstwhile A.B. Vajpayee government which had introduced the Tribal Welfare Ministry and earmarked budget for their welfare.
That is why, he said, the tribal communities reposed faith in the BJP and voted it to form the government at the Centre even after so many years.
Hitting back at the Congress leadership for asking the BJP what it did during its five months in power, Mr. Modi said he would like to ask what they did in the last 60 years.
Jharkhand is going to elect its 10th government in 14 years in a five-phase election between November 25 and December 20 for 81 Assembly seats.
