The Congress is indulging in mud-slinging against the government because it finds it easier than debating on issues like development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, in an apparent reference to allegations on the Rafale fighter aircraft deal.
Addressing a rally in Bhopal, he said the 125-year-old party had been reduced to such a condition that it was “begging” with small parties for alliances. And even if it got allies, the coalition would not be successful.
Mr. Modi said his government believed in social justice for all and that its ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas’ (cooperation of all, development of all) campaign was not just a slogan.
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He expressed the confidence that the BJP would emerge victorious in the coming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh as well as in the next Lok Sabha elections.
“They [Congress] are indulging in mud-slinging because they find it easier... They have indulged in mud-slinging earlier too. But I want to tell them, the more you throw mud at us, the more the lotus [BJP’s symbol] will bloom,” he said.
Mr. Modi was apparently referring to the charges of corruption being levelled by the Congress in the Rafale fighter deal.
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He said the Opposition party, instead of indulging in mud-slinging, should engage in debates on issues like development which “they do not dare to“.
The Opposition parties had formed the “mahagathbandhan” (grand alliance) out of fear of losing the polls. “The Congress has become a burden on the country today. It is the responsibility of BJP workers in democracy to save the country from it,” he said.
BJP chief Amit Shah and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were present at the rally.
Process to evict ‘illegal infiltrators’ won’t stop: Shah
Mr. Shah said the process of evicting “illegal infiltrators” from the country would not stop.
The draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) recently published in Assam had identified nearly 40 lakh illegal immigrants. “The process to evict illegal infiltrators will not stop, irrespective of the Congress’ opposition,” he said.
The Congress was raising issues to deflect the attention from crucial subjects. “There is no competition to the BJP in respect of development, security and nationalism,” he said at the ‘Karyakarta Mahakumbh’ (grand assembly of party workers), being held on the occasion of birth anniversary of RSS ideologue and Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) co-founder Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.