Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday vowed that his government would not hesitate to take more tough steps in the near future to tackle black money and to eradicate corruption from the country.
Addressing an election rally in Goa soon after his arrival here on Saturday evening, Mr. Modi, without mentioning demonetisation, slammed its opponents saying they were upset because what they had amassed illegally for 70 years had been wiped out by his actions.
‘Beware vote cutters’
“My government will take one step after another to rid the country of poverty. Stronger decisions and actions will be taken but they will be entirely guided by interest of the country and not by political interest,” Mr. Modi said.
Terming political parties who contest elections merely to split votes as “pickpockets of democracy”, Mr. Modi cautioned Goa’s voters against such parties. He appealed to the voters to ensure a “comfortable majority” for the BJP.
“These vote cutters, they are pickpockets of democracy and such people do not wish well for anyone. They try to weaken democracy,” Mr. Modi told the large crowd.
The Prime Minister’s comment was aimed at a slew of regional parties contesting the State assembly elections, especially its former ally the MGP, the Goa Suraksha Manch — mentored by former Rashtriya Swayamswavak Sangh Goa chief Subhash Velingkar — and the Shiv Sena, all of whom have been accused of trying to split the BJP vote.
Criticising opposition leaders, Mr Modi said they were working harder than Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, on how to criticise the Union budget, expected to be presented on February 1. Such pre-conceived criticism did not bode well for democracy, he said.
“They are already drafting this (criticism). We can understand reactions after the budget, we also understand criticism by political opponents, but they are working harder on how to criticise the budget, than the hard work put in by the Finance Minister,” Mr.Modi said.
He also thanked Goa for giving him such a powerful Defence Minister (Manohar Parrikar) whose “surgical strikes” on the border are still being discussed with awe worldwide.
