NUAPADA/BALANGIR/ROURKELA: Dubbing Congress as ‘betrayer’, Narendra Modi today took a jibe at its hand symbol, alleging it had mastered the art of ‘haath ki safai’ to loot the country’s wealth.
“People must understand the Congress tactics of first extending the hand and then shaking hands in a friendly gesture before sweeping the nation’s assets with haath ki safai,” the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate alleged at a series of election rallies in Odisha.
“Congress betrayed the people as it had promised to check inflation within 100 days before the last elections, remove poverty and provide employment, but failed to keep its words,” Modi said.
Describing Congress as the repository of all evils, the Gujarat Chief Minister said when people spoke of corruption, price rise and bad governance, the name of Congress automatically came to the mind.
Claiming that Congress was afraid of BJP coming to power, Modi said while he was only concerned about finding solutions to people’s problems, the focus of Congress, was to prevent him from coming to power.
Stating that though the people in India were generally tolerant and forgave mistakes, he said, they would definitely punish those who betrayed them.
Claiming that inflation and plight of the people could not be controlled until the Congress was thrown out of power, he strongly opposed ‘dynastic and destructive politics.
The country, he said, needed a ‘sevak’ (servant) like him and not an administrator. Modi said that the election would be fought between leaders with affluent political lineage and the son of a tea-seller who wished to serve the country.
“On one side there are those whose fathers were PMs, CMs, but here I am, from a poor family who has come to serve you,” the BJP stalwart said.
“This is a democracy and dynasty is the biggest enemy of a democracy,” he said.
Affirming that the 2014 election was about people’s voice of bringing a change and punishing those who had ruined the nation, Modi asserted that Congress and BJD would be thrown out by voters at Centre and in Odisha.
Attacking the BJD ruled government as ‘nikammi’ (useless) and non-performing, he said those in power had taken the people for granted and thought they would continue to get votes without doing any work for the common people.
“Naveen Babu has been in power for almost 15 years. What has Odisha got? Naveen Babu, your days in power are numbered.
Shahzadeji, Madam Soniaji, the direction of the wind is clear,” he claimed.
Speaking on the insecurity of women in the country, he said funds like the Nirbhaya Fund created by the Centre, lay unused.
Questioning Sonia Gandhi over the recent National Crime Records Bureau statistics which showed seven Congress-ruled states amongst the top 10 figuring in the list of states with most atrocities on women, Modi asked if this was the Center’s take on women’s safety.
Modi said that the youth from Odisha had to go to other states including Gujarat for job opportunities, even though the state had rich mineral resources.
He said people have given 60 years to Congress to rule the country and should give an opportunity to BJP to serve them with commitment and sincerity.
Under BJP the country would get rid of corruption and funds meant for development of people would reach the end-user, Modi said.
The vast but untapped potential of port-led development and handicrafts-related prospects in Odisha were also stressed by Modi, who alleged that the state and Central government were least bothered in tapping the tourism and development prospects of the region. -PTI
