Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lashed out at the Congress, accusing them of pursuing a "divide and rule" strategy to maintain their hold on power and creating new records in corruption. Addressing a poll rally in Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh's Malwa-Nimar region, he stated that on the one hand, Congress has built a fort of corruption and on the other hand it has declared Lord Ram as an "imaginary" character.
The Prime Minister made reference to Mahatma Gandhi, citing his focus on the need for integrity and honesty in governance, as well as his vision of "Ram Rajya" (ideal rule) for the nation.
PM hits out at Congress
"The Congress has always created problems for the country and has no solution for them. It governed the nation by adopting the policy of divide and rule," he added. PM Modi also alleged that the Grand Old Party has always set new records in corruption while in power at the Centre or in states.
The PM asserted that India's stature is rising in the comity of nations, but the Congress is not comfortable with this global ascendancy.
“This (global ascendancy) is happening because of you who formed the BJP government which takes tough and big decisions. This is what the Congress has not been able to digest for the last 10 years,” Modi said.
'India's rising power bothering Congress'
The Prime Minister said the Congress, which he said abuses him day and night, is wondering how the country's profile is changing on the international stage. “This (India's rising power in the world) is what is bothering the Congress. Therefore, the Congress wants to spread instability and anarchy in the country. For this, the Congress has made secret agreements. The Congress now seems to be standing with foreigners who openly conspire against India. The people of Madhya Pradesh have to be very cautious of the Congress,” he said.
PM Modi also claimed that the Congress party has no solutions to the country's problems. "Because of the Congress, the country's problems have become more serious, especially the loot of the poor. One of its Prime Ministers once admitted that out of Re 1 sent from the Centre, only 15 paise reached the beneficiary," he said, apparently making a reference to the former PM Rajiv Gandhi.
Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections
The election to the 230-member assembly in Madhya Pradesh is scheduled to be held on November 17, while counting of votes will take place on December 3.
In the 2018 assembly polls, Congress emerged as the single largest party by winning 114 seats while restricting the BJP to 109. The party under Kamal Nath formed a government with the support of BSP, SP, and Independent MLAs.
However, the Congress government fell after many MLAs under the leadership of Jyotiraditya Scindia, who later became a Union minister, joined the BJP. The BJP returned to power in March 2020 with Shivraj Singh Chouhan as chief minister for a fresh term. The BJP's current strength in the assembly is 127.
(With inputs from PTI)
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