Live reporting: Modi addresses Chennai rally

Chennai: Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi today addressed a rally in Chennai. Earlier, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today replied to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's charge that people who spent their entire life for RSS ideology “that killed Gandhi” are not erecting a statue of Sardar Patel. Addressing a huge rally in Guwahati, Modi said: “These Congress people question me, Modiji you belong to RSS and BJP, and you are going to erect Statue of Unity for Sardar Patel. ”I told them, for you, Sardar Patel may be the leader of your party, for us, Sardar Patel is the leader of the country.” For you, Sardar Patel may be a politician, for us, Sardar Patel is rashtraneta, statesman, our national heritage.” Congress leaders will never understand my sentiment. Sardar Patel, who unified this great country, that great man's work was acknowledged by the Congress leaders till now. ”Today, when the people of Gujarat have taken up the work of erecting the statue, Congress leaders are at last, being forced to take SardarPatel's name, even though unwillingly. That is our success. ”The leader whom the Congress forgot for 60 years, are now being forced to remember him”, said Modi in a direct repartee to Rahul Gandhi's barb.Modi also targeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Narendra Modi and accused him of doing nothing for Assam which he represented in Rajya Sabha for the last 23 years and wondered what the nation can hope for itself from such a leader.”It's only a matter of 100 days, Congress' exit is confirmed. They won't survive,” Modi said. Launching a scathing attack on Singh, Modi said even if an ordinary worker from Assam would have represented the state for so many years, he could have changed the face of the state but Singh failed to do so and owed an explanation to the people for it. “For 23 years you have been sending Prime Ministers from here. You tell me, you made such a big investment but what did you get in return. Did you get anything?...If he being yours could not do anything for you, then what will he do for the nation,” he asked the people while addressing a public meeting here.“Among all Northeast states, Assam's condition is the worst,” he said, alleging “Congress leaders are narrow minded. Their thinking is narrow, dreams are small and vision is shortsighted.”He said, “Prime Minister ji if even a small worker from Assam would have sat in Rajya Sabha for 23 years, he would changed the face of Assam. You are sitting in Rajya Sabha for 23 years, holding the coveted post of Prime Minister and yet your own state of Assam is facing such a bad condition, then you can imagine in what bad shape will the whole country be.”Modi said in a democracy people of Assam and that of the nation have the right to demand an explanation from the Prime Minister for failing to meet their expectations.“Prime Minister ji, you will have to reply. People of the country have the right to seek an answer from you and people of Assam have a special right to demand an answer from you,” Modi said. ”You have tolerated Congress for 60 years. They only made promises and misguided the country. Give me just 60 months, I will fulfil your aspirations,” Modi said.Attacking Congress government over corruption, the BJP leader said “They are depositing black money abroad and do not want to bring it back.”The BJP government will do everything to bring all black money to India and invest in various development works, including for the poor, spreading education and giving foodand medicine to the elderly, Modi also raked up the issue of Assam's land which the central government is seeking to barter with Bangladesh as part of a treaty.“Congress leaders think this country is their personal property. They have decided to give certain land ofAssam.... Have they asked you or sought your permission. Why are they doing so.... Did you ask your leaders,” he said questioning the right of the UPA government to give awayAssam's land.The Gujarat Chief Minister also praised Assam for its tea industry, saying the brew “wakes” up the people of the country and he has a special love for it.“Assam has both tea and timber. And I have a special love for tea. I used to fill energy in people by boiling the tea leaves from Assam,” said Modi, who was once a tea vendor.He also raised the issue of bloodshed in Assam due to communal clashes saying, “people of Assam are peace-loving, yet who has brought bloodshed to Assam... who is responsible for the death of so many youth? Will we allow this game of bloodbath to continue?"Here is the live reporting for Modi's rallies: 09:38pm- Modi concludes his speech09:36pm- Modi:Congress has failed to create jobs and people are losing their jobs too.I thank the 6 political parties who have come here and are standing shoulder to shoulder with us for glorious India.09:30pm- Modi:You came from Harvard while we come from hardwork.09:20pm- Modi:He is using abusing me on a daily basis. I prefer to keep silence because I know that more the mud spreads, more the lotus will bloom. The Recounting Minister said Modi's knowledge is such that it can be written behind a postal stamp. Only if you put a postal stamp a letter is delivered. I have proven myself but what have you done as an economist?09:15pm- Modi:There is also a recounting Minister in Delhi. He is from Tamil Nadu only. This Recounting Minister, his arrogance is sky high now.09:00pm- Modi: 3 generations of the Congress tries to spread lies in Gujarat but the people of Gujarat did not accept it. India too will not accept it now.08:54pm- Modi:One Congress leader went to Gujarat and told lies. He used a word that is used for abusing others. He called people of Gujarat 'Ullu'.Who is fooling the people, the people know very well. People will not tolerate this.08:53pm- Modi:As for corruption, they respect corruption a lot. Their allies are allowed to loot and in your Tamil Nadu too you have the beneficiaries of this corruption.08:52pm- Modi: Work culture must be of cooperation and not confrontation.Centre vs State...State vs State...these things are going on because of the UPA.Party vs Government...Government vs Supreme Court, Defence Minister vs Army this is what is happening in this country.08:51pm- Modi:The thought and work culture of UPA has put India on the verge of disintegration and to save the nation we need to say goodbye to them.08:50pm- Modi:In the last 60 years, there had been no tension between the Centre and the Armed Forces.But in the last 10 years, UPA has had run ins even with the Armed forces.Armed forces were never divided on sectarian lies but this is what the UPA tried to do. It were the Armed forces who refused to toe the govt line.08:49pm- Modi:Planning Commission was reduced to cypher and NAC was constituted with unworthy people. The dignity of PM office has been compromised. 08:48pm- Modi: Grains meant for poor were given to alcohol makers at 80p even when SC said give it to the poor.Atal ji dreamt of integrated river grid and today we can see what is the situation in Tamil Nadu.Supreme Court asked why UPA was not going ahead on river linking but they did not act and kept projects in cold storage08:47pm- Modi:CBI has been misused in this country. To win trust votes, CBI is misused. They are used to make and break governments.08:46pm- Modi:See how IT departments are misused. Investors came to Gujarat but when UPA came to know, IT notices/raids were sent against them.08:45pm- Modi:Position of the Governor...Raj Bhawans have become Congress Bhawans.Elected governments pass laws but governors do not sign them. This is the institutional decline. 08:44pm- Modi:If a nation like ours does not maintain institutional sanctity, sensitivity, integrity then the nation will keep getting into crisis.All institutions stand destroyed in the last ten years.08:43pm- Modi:Today India is facing problems from all 4 sides. We are being troubled by China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. We need a strong government in Delhi. If India is strong then our neighbours will also be friendly with us.08:42pm- Modi:Fishermen of TN have to face major problems. TN Fishermen are spending time in jails of Sri Lanka.Even small nations are pressurising India and no one is listening to us. Who is responsible? It's the weak government of Delhi.08:41pm- Modi:One of their leaders said poverty is a state of mind.If the Government had even little concern for the poor then the condition of the fishermen community in TN would have been different08:40pm- Modi:A government is meant for the poor and every thing a government does must be for the poor.They keep talking about the power. When polls come they remember poor and they have been doing it since independence.08:39pm- Modi:The rich have the freedom to choose good schools and hospitals for them but where will the poor go?08:38pm- Modi:The troubles that we have faced in the last 10 years were not seen in this country since independence. After all, who is this government meant for? Is it for the rich or is it for the poor?08:37pm- Modi: If you want to understand how the people will vote, which way the wind is blowing then just see the sight over here. 08:35pm - Modi begins his speech8:00pm: Modi reaches rally venue in Chennai3:40 pm: Modi ends speech with slogans "Jai Aai Asom" and "Bharat Mata Ki Jai".3:39 pm: I promise you to return your investment with interest, if you support the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.3:37 pm: Modi tells of the Gujarat example, where all applicants were asked to upload their certificates and testimonials on line, and those getting the highest marks are automatically sent letters of appointment for the posts of teachers. This has autmoatically eliminated corruption.3:33 pm: Modi says, how he proposed 200 women policemen from each Northeast state knowing English to be sent on deputation to Gujarat to help out in tourism. But none of the state governments agreed. My invitation stills stands today. Send the women policemen to Gujarat for two years. These women policemen on return to the Northeast will promote tourism here, because the Gujaratis will then flock to Northeast. 3:31 pm: Modi raises infiltration issue. Says, Rajiv Gandhi had during the 1985 Assam Accord promised to throw out foreign nationals. Has the accord been implemented? the crowd shouts no. The youths in Assam are not getting jobs, but youths who are foreign nationals are taking away their jobs. India needs a strong government at the Centre, which can speak to Bangladesh and get these foreign nationals weeded out. I promise you this.3:26 pm: If Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune can develop as IT hubs, why not Assam and Guwahati. If given connectivity through broadband and optical fibre, Assamese youths sitting in small towns in this state can connect to Bangalore and Hyderabad and earn. When I tell them (Congress), they till me where is electricity. I tell them, then bring electricity. You need political will power. You gave Congress 60 years, give me 60 months, crowd applauds. 3:24 pm: India has the youngest population, nearly 65 per cent are below 35 years of age. If we do not give your youths the skill, the job opportunities, this demographic dividend can turn into demographic disaster. we need a Skill Development Commission.3:20 am: Modi says, Assam has the mightiest Brahmaputra river whose water goes waste, and people in Guwahati face water crisis. In Gujarat, we are not fortunate to have the Brahmaputra, we only have the Narmada river. We set up thousand kilometres of pipes till Kutch border to provide water till our border. the diameter of the pipes are so big that Tarun Gogoi (Assam CM) alongwith his family in a Maruti car can go through that pipe. The crowd applauses.3:18 pm: The eight states of Northeast including Sikkim are "Ashta Lakshmi" Lakshmiji sits on a kamal (lotus). Once you bless the lotus, the Ashta Lakshmi, the eight Northeast states will prosper.3:16 pm: BJP's vision is to bring about development all along the eastern flank, right from Assam and Manipur to West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh. It was Vajpayee's vision who wanted the progress of Northeast. He gave Rs 40 lakh crore worth package to the Northeast. Vajpayee had directed all major departments at the Centre to allocate 10 per cent of their budgets for the Northeast. Had Vajpayee won the 2004 elections, the Northeast would have prospered.3:15 pm: Look at India's map. On the western coast, there is development and progress, and look at the east, there is too much poverty. The Prime Minister who speaks of inclusiveness, must also look towards East. It has the largest natural resources, but is lagging behind because of lack of good leadership and vision3:13 pm: Blasts take place, innocents die, people are being murdered, our jawans in CRPF also get killed, but they (Congress) are not bothered. Your thinking cannot change just by taking names, says Modi amidst applause.3:11 pm: The Congress leaders are shouting NREGA. Have any of you got work under NREGA? Crowd shouts No. yet they are singing paaens to NREGA. In Assam alone, 12 lakh people sought work under NREGA, and only 10,000 people got work. Is it not a joke on the poor?3:08 pm: The youths of India today want development, but in that march towards development, Assam is nowhere. Industrial growth rate in Assam is 0.5 per cent, what worse can it be in a state rich with natural resources, where the youths are ready to sweat and work. Out of 1,000 youths, 675 are unemployed in Assam. Do you want to stay unemployed? crowd shouts "No." Think about it.3:07 pm: Despite being ruled by the same party in Assam and the Centre, Assam lags behind the other seven Northeast states. Among the eight N-E states including Sikkim, Assam is the most backward. If Sikkim can work for tourism, why can't Assam do the same? The government sitting at the Centre only worries about power, not about Assam. Assam's per capita income is the lowest.3:05 pm: Pradhanmantriji, if a small party worker from Assam had been sitting at the Centre, he could have changed the face of Assam, and you are the prime minister. For last 23 years you are at the Centre representing Assam, you are the prime minister, if Assam is in a worse condition, think of the rest of the country. If the PM cant help you, what can he do for the country. The people of India, particularly Assam, have the right to seek your reply. 3:04 pm: Congress is in power in Assam and at the Centre. Assam has given India its Prime Minister. You have been electing him for the last 23 years. Please tell me, you made such a big investment. Ehat did you get? Kya mila, kya mila, crowd shouts: Nothing. 3:02 pm: I have a special affinity for tea (referring to him being a tea seller). I used to boil the tea leaves of Assam and sell them giving people energy. But the very state of Assam which produces tea, is now lacking energy. The people of Assam are peaceloving, they celebrate the Bihu in abandon. why made Assam bloodied? Who is responsible for this? we lost so many young men to violence, these young men of this soil. Should we allow them to die ?3 pm: I feel pain when I come to Assam. This states rich with natural resources, with forests, trees, natural resources, yet the people of this state are poor. Why? Who is responsible for this? The crowd shouts 'Congress". If you know this, then why are you bearing them, asks Modi. Don't waste time. Its only 100 days left and their farewell is definite. The people of India have decide to see them off. Now the Congress party cannot save itself (bach nahin sakti). Even after 60 years, the poverty is still there which is painful. 2:58 pm: These Congress people question me, Modiji you belong to RSS and BJP, and you are going to erect Statue of Unity for Sardar Patel. I told them, for you, Sardar Patel may be the leader of your party, for us, Sardar Patel is the leader of the country. For you, Sardar Patel may be a politician, for us, Sardar Patel is rashtraneta, statesman, our national heritage. Congress leaders will never understand my sentiment. Sardar Patel, who unified this great country, that great man's work will never be acknowledged by the Congress leaders. Today, when the people of Gujarat have taken up the work of erecting the statue, Congress leaders are now, being forced to take Patel's name, even though unwillingly. That is our success. The leader whom the Congress forgot for 60 years, are now being forced to remember him : Modi2:57 pm: Congress leaders' dreams are petty, thought are petty, vision is shortsighted, and because of this they forgot Gopinath Bordoloi2:56 pm: Govt in Delhi is busy worshipping a single family. Otherwise Gopinath Bordoloi should have got the Bharat Ratna many years ago. It was only Atal Bihar Vajpayee's government which gave the Bharat Ratna to Bordoloi2:55 pm: Modi remembers Gopinath Bordoloi, who helped Sardar Patel and stopped Assam from going to Pakistan2:50 pm: Modi begins speech in Guwahatai1:35 pm: Local BJP unit has organised several thousand vehicles, two special trains, 500 motorcycles and 200 cycles for the rally, says Assam BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami.1:30 pm: Over to Guwahati Veterinary Ground, Khanapara. The rally venue is almost half full with spectators waiting for Modi to arrive. Enthusiasm running high, BJP leaders busy giving last minute touches. Common middle-class Assamese showing interest in what Modi has to say about Assam. A housewife says, "I have come here just to have a glimpse of Modi. He is the only one who can lead the country now".12:36 pm: Modi ends his speech saying Bharat Mata ki Jai in Manipuri. Takes off his crown, and leaves.12:34 pm: The Congress is doing the politics of dividing and destroying the country. Take this opportunity and give BJP a chance, says Modi.12:27 pm: I promise you to get the work on NH53 here done if I come to power, Modi promises amidst applause from local crowd. 12:24: I had given a proposal to Manipur government and other North-eastern governments to send their 200 women policemen from each state for 2 years on deputation to Gujarat. Not a single state government responded. Had 1,600 women policemen come from North-East, stayed here for two years and returned, they would have made friends with at least 10 Gujarati families, and thousands of Gujaratis could have flocked to the North-east as tourists : Modi 12:22 pm: Manipur can do wonders in IT sector. The youths here are educated in English. Outsourcing in Imphal and other Northeast cities will reduce costs, and give a huge jump in employment opportunities: Modi12:21 pm: MNREGA in Manipur is a flop, panchayati raj is not at all effective here, there is despondency all around : Modi 12:20 pm: There is rampant corruption in the Northeast. All money sent from the centre goes to the coffers of Congress : Modi 12:19 pm: Modi raises the Nido Tania murder case and describes it as a "national shame". Says, it is all because of the crisis in governance between the central government and Delhi government. 12:18 pm: This Congress government is allowing neighbours like China, Myanmar, Bangladesh to take away our territories : Modi12: 17 pm: Modi alleges, the chief minister of Manipur has signed an agreement with Mynamar officials, giving away a large number of border territory to the neighbouring country to resolve the boundary pillars issue. The chief minister says, he did this with the consent of PM and Home Minister : Modi 12:16 pm: The government of Delhi has lost interest in governance. No neta, No neeti (policy), no neeyat (intention) : Modi 12:15 pm: 23 years have gone by, nothing has changed in Northeast. My friends, in rest of India, the entire scenario changes in 5 years : Modi12:13 pm: Congress ruled for 60 years, give us 60 months, and see how we develop the northeast : Modi 12:10 pm: If we come to power, we will bring back each and every paisa hidden in foreign banks. Tell me, whose money is kept in foreign bank, Modi asks. The crowd shouts "Congress"12:07 pm: Loktak lake can be developed as tourist attraction. I have done it to a similar lake full of slush and garbage in Ahmedabad : Modi 12:06 pm: Rs 200 cr siphoned off in the name of cleaning up Loktak lake, this is comparable to the scam in Ganga cleaning project : Modi12:05 pm: Youths in Northeast are resorting to drugs becaue of lack of employment opportunities. The leaders of ruling party here are neck deep in corruption: Modi12 noon: Because of terrorism, infiltration, our lives in Northeast are not safe. Manipur has seen some of the worst governments of Congress. Even pregnant women were killed in fake encounters : Modi 11:58 am: There are eight sisters in the North-east now, including Sikkim. They are the "Ashta Lakshmi" (eight Lakshmis). It would be better if the Ashta Lakshmi gets the lotus to sit on. (referring to BJP symbol Lotus)11:56 am: Modi reminds it was Prime Minister Vajpayee who allocated 10 per cent of expenditure on development of North East.11:55 am: Modi says, the north-East is considered the most ausipicious in any house or building. Unless the North-East prospers, the nation cannot prosper Unfortunately, the policies of Central government have not been properly aligned for the development of North-East.11:51 am: Modi reads from written English speech, and switches over to Hindi in middle. "I salute the people of this soil, I salute the culture of Manipur. INdian culture is not complete without Manipuri dance, says Modi.11:50 am: Wearing the Manipuri royal regalia, Modi welcomes the crowd in Manipuri language. Then speaks in Hindi11:44 am: Modi is being felicitated by BJP leaders with a crown on his head with peacock feathers on top. amidst shouts of Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Bugle sounds again. Modi is made to wear a green coloured royal jacket. Modi waves to the crowds smiling. A lady welcomes Modi with a saffron shawl.11:41 am: On the dais are written in bold letters RALLY FOR NEW HOPE, BJP STANDS FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE. A local speaker speaks in Manipuri.11:40 am: Manipur BJP leaders hurriedly brief Modi on the dais.11:38 am: Modi arrives at the rally venue. Manipuri women wearing traditional dress welcome him with folded hands. Modi replies namaste with folded hands, as welcoming bugle sounds11:26 am: Narendra Modi's helicopter lands near rally venue . A huge stage has been erected for BJP leaders to be seated on the podium8:35 am: Manipur state BJP unit chief Thounaojam Chaoba is hopeful of a big crowd at the rally, but supporters are coming in a trickle. 8:30 am: Huge security arrangements made at rally venue in view of militant threat. Police have set up metal detectors at all entry points.