Taking a jibe at Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that he abandoned the nation, whenever the country needed him.
Addressing the BJP's national convention in New Delhi, PM Modi said; "Would you like a servant who steals your money and divides it into his family? Do you want to tell the neighbours, the things happening inside your house? The country should decide if it wants a 'pradhan sevak' who works 18 hours tirelessly for you or the one who goes on vacation abroad when the country needs him the most'.
PM Modi also accused the Congress for pushing the county into darkness during its ten years of tenure.
He claimed that for the first time in the country's history, there has not been any charge of corruption against a government.
He also cautioned the BJP against any complacency, saying it is said at times that "Modi will come and deliver victory" and asked its workers to campaign like farmers work at their land.
Seeds may be good, rains may arrive and everything else may be supportive but crop would not be good if farmers do not till the land, he said, adding that the party reached where it is due to "collective leadership".
Targeting the Congress over corruption, he referred to the National Herald case in which Rahul and his mother Sonia Gandhi are on bail and accused them of "grabbing land and people's money".
The opposition party believes in protecting its "sultanate" at any cost and its "first family" has no respect for the country's institutions, he said, claiming that the BJP believes in the Constitution.
In this context, he hit out at the Congress over the decision of its governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to withdraw the general consent given to the CBI for probing cases in their state, asking what irregularities they have done that they fear it.
He said when he was Gujarat chief minister for 12 years, the UPA government used all institutions with an aim to put him in jail, adding that they sent BJP president Amit Shah, who was then a minister in the state government, behind bars.
He still presented himself before a district-level police official for questioning for nine hours because he had faith in law and considered it above him, Modi asserted, apparently referring to cases of riots and alleged fake encounters.
"Despite being harassed by the UPA for years, I didn't ban entry of CBI in state... We believed in law. We had faith in truth," he said, targeting the Congress for its "attack" on institutions like the CBI, the CAG and the Election Commission.
"These leaders on bail have no trust either in law or in truth... Can they (Congress) be trusted with power," he asked and also blamed it for crisis in banks, saying that there was "common process" and "Congress process" of loans when it was in power.
While the common process was for the common man, the "Congress process" was used by "scamsters" closed to its leadership to swindle public money from banks, Modi said.
In an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi and his charge of corruption against him over the Rafale issue, he said one cannot make somebody understand a point if he deliberately does not want to understand it.
The prime minister said he was being "abused" after an accused in a defence deal- a reference to Christian Michel- was brought to India from abroad for the first time.
He said he would not claim that his government achieved everything but it has made honest efforts to work for all sections of society.
The prime minister said 10-per cent reservation in education and government jobs for the general category poor will enhance the confidence of 'New India'.
(With PTI inputs)
