Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: Launching a scathing attack on the I.N.D.I.A. opposition coalition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress of giving clean chit to terrorists.
According to him, the “B-Team” of the Congress is becoming active “across the border" - an allegation which was evident from the statements of Congress leaders vis-a-vis the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.
Though Modi, the BJP’ star campaigner, did not name any leader, it was an apparent reference to two senior Congress leaders - Vijay Wadettiwar, the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and Dr Shashi Tharoor, the former union minister.
Modi’s statement came as he addressed two back-to-back election rallies in Ahmednagar and Beed districts of Maharashtra.
“No trick of the I.N.D.I.A. opposition alliance is working in front of the people. They are even crossing the limits of hopelessness. The situation is indicating desperation. The ‘A-Team’ here is losing, so the ‘B-Team’ of Congress is becoming active across the border. To boost the morale of the Congress, tweets are being made from across the border. In return, the Congress party is giving clean chits to terrorists,” Modi said in Ahmednagar.
“What is this relationship called, it needs to be exposed,” the Prime Minister said in Beed.
Highlighting what he described as Congress party’s “anti-national approach”, Modi said: “The country has not forgotten that day when during Congress's time, terrorists were welcomed at the Prime Minister's residence. And the country also saw that day, when Congress's biggest leader was shedding tears for the terrorists killed in Batla House (encounter).”
Highlighting the infrastructural development and national security in the last 10 years achieved under the NDA government, he said: “…Modi has ensured security and development for the last 10 years. The problems left by the Congress legacy have been solved by us. Congress pushed farmers into a crisis in Maharashtra. The drought crisis worsened. Congress remained busy with its loot. We have addressed the concerns of farmers by completing pending projects for years.
The Prime Minister highlighted the ongoing voting for the third phase of the elections, stating that the overwhelming support received by the BJP-NDA indicates the imminent end of the Congress-led coalition government. "The expiry date of the I.N.D.I.A. is set for June 4. After June 4, no one will be found to hoist the flag of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc anymore.”
“This election is happening between satisfaction (santushtikaran) and appeasement (tushtikaran). The entire effort of BJP-NDA is to satisfy the people with their hard work. While those of the opposition alliance are engaged in appeasing their vote bank through their conspiracies. Congress has made its entire manifesto bearing the imprint of Muslim League,” he added.
Modi warned against the appeasement politics of the Congress and the I.N.D.I.A., expressing concern over their plans to give full reservation to Muslims at the expense of existing SC-ST-OBC reservations.
He urged caution, particularly among Dalits, backward classes, and tribals.
“Now I.N.D.I.A. alliance says that they will snatch away this entire reservation from SC/ST/OBC and give it to Muslims. They want to give away the entire reservation that Babasaheb Ambedkar stopped. These Congress and I.N.D.I.A. people want to do this. The Constitution opposes reservation based on religion. Now they want to change this Constitution. So that they can make their special vote bank happy,” said Modi.