Modi attacks BSP-SP alliance, term it as 'selfish'

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on possible 'grand alliance' by Samajwadi Party (SP), BSP and some other Opposition parties to take on the BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls in 2019, saying that it is an alliance of ''dynastic political parties'', which wants to ''prevent'' development of the country.

Addressing a public rally after inaugurating 352 Kilometres long Poorvanchal Expressway Project at Manduri village in the district, Modi termed the 'grand alliance' a ''selfish'' one.

''Those, who detested each other once (SP-BSP), have now joined hands....they now think about Modi from morning to evening....these parties have come together to serve their own selfish ends,'' the prime minister said.

Modi, who was visiting Azamgarh, the Lok Sabha constituency of SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, for the first time after becoming prime minister in 2014, invoked socialist ideologue Ram Manohar Lohia and Dalit icon B.R.Ambedkar and cautioned the people against some parties who only garner votes in their names.

During his 50-minute address, the prime minister also sought to showcase the works undertaken by his government since assuming charge four years back and listed several schemes launched by the centre for the people.

Modi said that the centre was committed to ensure the development of the eastern region of the country and of Uttar Pradesh, which had been ignored by the successive regimes in the past.

The prime minister said that what the NDA government had achieved in only four years had not been achieved in the last 70 years.

The Poorvanchal Expressway, which was conceived during the previous Akhilesh Yadav regime, would connect the state capital with Ghazipur district on the border with Bihar.

It would traverse through Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau and Ghazipur districts and would also be connected to other nearby districts through link roads.