Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hit out at the practice of family rule in a number of Opposition parties and slammed them for caste-based politics, in the backdrop of rival parties SP and BSP attempting to garner the OBC and Dalit votes in Uttar Pradesh, which is set for polls from February 10.
In an interview with ANI on the eve of the first phase of polls in Uttar Pradesh’s western region, known popularly as 'Jatland', the Prime Minister said, “We start classification on caste basis during tickets distribution and discuss what vote per cent would be given by which community. We should change it.”
Modi also said he can see a "wave" for BJP in all states. "We will win with an overwhelming majority and people in five states will give us an opportunity to serve them," he said, adding that wherever BJP has been given the opportunity to work with stability, there, one will find an "atmosphere of pro-incumbency and not anti-incumbency."
He said the old theory that a party not repeating its victory in consecutive polls in UP has been rejected by the people as the BJP won 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the 2017 Assembly polls.
Modi had praise for the Yogi Adityanath government, saying that earlier troubles during previous governments like "mafia raj, gunda raj, the manner in which muscle men had a status and shelter in government" is history. "Today, women say that they can step out even after dark. This trust is essential for security. There was a time in UP when goons could do anything they wanted, today, they surrender. Yogiji prioritised security and didn't compromise on it," he said.
Broadening the ambit of his dynastic politics attack to almost the entire spectrum, the Prime Minister said when a party is run for generations by a family, there's only “dynasty, not dynamics.”
He said that starting from Jammu and Kashmir, where there are two parties (National Conference and PDP) run by two separate families, Modi said that a similar trend can be seen in Haryana, Jharkhand, UP and Tamil Nadu. “Dynastic politics is the biggest enemy of democracy,” said Modi, whose obvious points of attack were Congress, INLD, JMM and DMK.
Accusing the principal opposition party Congress of carrying out the politics of “divide and rule” for the last 50 years, he claimed that on the contrary BJP works with the mantra of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas'.
Asked on Rahul Gandhi's criticism, Modi shot back, "How do I reply to a person who does not listen, skips Parliament? I didn't speak against anyone's father or grandfather... I said what a former Prime Minister had said... It's the right of the nation to know. They say we don't mention Nehru ji. If we do, then too there is a difficulty," he said.
On the security breach in Ferozepur, he said the Supreme Court is looking into the matter seriously and any statement that he makes will impact the investigation and it was not right.
On the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, he said the state government gave its consent for whatever committee the Supreme Court wanted to form, for whichever judge the Supreme Court wanted for the probe. "State govt is working transparently," he said.
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