Alleging that the Congress and other Opposition parties in alliance with it supported the women’s reservation Bill in Parliament reluctantly and under ”great compulsion”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 25 said they were now determined to divide “women power”.
Addressing a massive gathering of BJP workers, ‘Karyakarta Mahakumb’ — that had a fair share of women in attendance — in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, Mr. Modi dwelt into the three-decades old history of the Bill to slam his political opponents, warning that they were ready to “deceive women if given an opportunity.”
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While he questioned the Congress’ own failure to push the Bill through despite having overwhelming majority in the past, Mr. Modi also referred to disruptive acts such as tearing the copies of the Bill to attacking the Speaker that its “Ghamandia [INDIA] [arrogant]” alliance partners indulged in.
The Prime Minister further made a veiled reference to the Congress’ demands to include quota for women from other backward classes (OBCs) and its allegation that the Bill itself was a diversionary tactic against the demand for a caste census to suggest that the purported shortcomings highlighted by it were a ploy to mislead people.
“I want to tell you one more thing, these people are very nervous. Now they will play a new game, they will try their best to divide women power. To ensure that women power does not remain united, various kinds of rumours will be spread. Therefore, every mother, sister and daughter of the country will have to be careful, alert and united,” said the Prime Minister, even as he listed out several other schemes by his government that have benefited women.
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‘Urban Naxals’
Asserting that “Modi was the guarantee of fulfillment of every guarantee”, Mr. Modi compared the Congress to rusted iron and claimed that it was a company that was outsourcing everything to “urban Naxals”.
“First the Congress was ruined, now it became bankrupt and now the Congress has given its contract to others. The Congress is no longer being run by Congress leaders. Now the Congress has become such a company in which everything from slogans to policies is being outsourced. And do you know who has received this contract? The Congress’ contract is now with some urban Naxals. Now only urban Naxals are running the Congress. Now every Congress worker on the ground is feeling this, that is why the Congress is continuously becoming hollow on the ground also,” the Prime Minister said.
Taking a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi without naming him, he said that for those born with a silver spoon, “the life of poor people is like an adventure tourism and picnic and the poor person’s agri field is a place for video shooting and photo session”.
Attacking the Congress on the issue of corruption and nepotism, Mr. Modi warned the people of the election-bound State to not support the Congress as it would make Madhya Pradesh a BIMARU (acronym used for underdeveloped States in the past decades) again. Urging the youth to ask their parents and grand parents about the hardships they faced under the “Congress rule”, he said the youth, especially the first time voters, had only seen Sushasan under the BJP rule.
“For a developed India, Madhya Pradesh too needs to be developed,” he added.
Mr. Modi appealed to party workers to ensure that the party won each and every booth in the coming elections.
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‘Deserves zero marks’
Addressing a rally in Jaipur, Mr. Modi said the Congress government in Rajasthan deserved to get “zero marks” for its administration steeped in corruption, inefficiency and appeasement, for which it should be voted out in the upcoming Assembly elections. Mr. Modi accused the ruling Congress of having wasted five important years of the State’s youths.
The Prime Minister was addressing a BJP rally at Dadiya village near Jaipur on the completion of the Opposition party’s Parivartan Yatras taken out from the four corners of the State. Calling upon the people to bring the BJP back to power, Mr. Modi said the Congress dispensation had patronised the mafia involved in leaking the question papers of recruitment examinations, which had destroyed the future of youths.
In an apparent reference to the Kanhaiya Lal murder case of Udaipur in 2022, Mr. Modi said no industrialist would be willing to invest in a State where incidents of beheading took place openly and the ruling party was sympathetic towards the terrorists. The BJP had earlier accused the State government of making a weak representation in the Rajasthan High Court, leading to acquittal of four accused in the 2008 Jaipur blasts case in March this year.
“The lotus will bloom again in Rajasthan,” Mr. Modi said, while affirming that the people themselves had sounded the bugle for getting rid of the Congress for its misrule. He said the Ashok Gehlot government’s “black deeds” had been recorded in a red diary, exposing those involved in corruption and cuts. Sacked Minister Rajendra Gudha had made the claims about the diary in the State Assembly.
Mr. Modi lashed out at the Opposition parties over DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks on Sanatana Dharma and said the INDIA alliance wanted to destroy the country’s roots. “Those who attack our roots must know that the people of Rajasthan will uproot them,” he said.
Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, seated next to Mr. Modi on the stage, BJP State president C.P. Joshi, Leader of the Opposition Rajendra Rathore and Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Arjun Ram Meghwal were among those who attended the rally.
Members of the BJP Mahila Morcha welcomed Mr. Modi at the venue, as he travelled from a nearby helipad in an open-top vehicle, escorted by the women party workers. Mr. Modi earlier offered floral tributes at the statue of Jan Sangh ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya at Dhanakya village on his birth anniversary.
