Mumbai: Amid Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. opposition bloc claims that BJP will fall short of majority in the Lok Sabha polls, prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asserted that the results would break all records and India would emerge as a huge power on 4 June, the day of the counting votes.
Modi also accused the Congress of having what he described as a “Maoist manifesto”.
“I have travelled across the country, and I can assure you that the results of these elections will break all previous records. India will emerge as a huge power on the 4 June,” Modi said addressing a mammoth rally at the historic Shivaji Park at Dadar in Mumbai.
Before he addressed the rally, he paid tributes to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution an Chaityabhoomi and revolutionary freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar Swatantrya Rashtriya Smarak off the Shivaji Park, garlanded a bust of legendary Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the venue, and invoked late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray.
Modi, who is seeking a third term in office, said: “Modi has a report card of 10 years and a roadmap for the next 25 years. On the other hand, you have the I.N.D.I.A opposition bloc which has as many PM candidates as many parties in the I.N.D.I.A alliance. The country will become bankrupt if you go by the Maoist manifesto of the Congress party.”
They have an eye on the gold of our temples and mangalsutras of women. They came up with the idea of a 50% Inheritance Tax,” he reiterated.
Modi also lashed out at Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray saying that he has deviated from the ideology of Balasaheb. “In this land of Shiv Teertha, the roar of Balasaheb Thackeray and Veer Savarkar had once echoed here, but today their souls would be in pain seeing the treacherous Indy Aghadi. These fake Shiv Sena people... they have betrayed Bala Saheb, they have betrayed the sacrifices of Shiv Sainiks,” he said.
“For the sake of power, he sided with those who abused the Ram Mandir. For power, he went along with the people who were partying after the Mumbai attacks. The Congress which abuses Veer Savarkar day and night, today he has gone and sat in his lap,” he added.
Hitting out at Congress, Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, who is now head of the NCP (SP), Modi said: “When these people 'stole' the mandate in Maharashtra, they hindered developmental work. Bullet train, Mumbai metro...they stalled every single developmental work. Modi has one important resolve.... Modi has come to give back the rights of Mumbai. Today, the most modern infrastructure in the world is in Mumbai.”
According to Modi, for 60 years, Congress claimed to eradicate poverty from the country. “They used to talk about eradicating poverty in their speeches...In the last 10 years, we (BJP-led NDA) have lifted 25 crore people out of poverty. The thing that appeared impossible became possible! It's the power of your vote that made this feat possible,” he said.
“These are the people who are so deeply in despair that even the removal of Article 370 seemed impossible. Today, the wall of Article 370 that was in front of our eyes, we have buried it in the graveyard. And those who are nurturing dreams of reviving Article 370 and bringing it back, they should listen carefully... no power in the world can bring back Article 370,” he said amid thunderous applause.
Modi also said that the Congress has put India in a mess. “After independence, India was the sixth-largest economy in the world. In 2014, when Congress was ousted and we took the reins of the country, the economy had become the 11th largest economy in the world."
"Since I was allowed to serve, our country has become the 5th largest economy in the world” he said, adding that in the next few years he would make the country a “Viksit Bharat” and the third largest economy.
“After independence, if the Congress party had been dissolved at the advice of Gandhi ji, India would have been ahead by five decades. The Congressification of all the systems of the country after independence destroyed five decades of the country,” he said.