Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday charged the Congress with spreading lies and said the party will go to any length to grab power.

“Congress can go to any extent to grab power. It can divide the country, ... states, society. It can do anything for power as well as for vote bank,” Modi said, addressing an election rally here. He participated in a two-hour road show in the city before addressing the public meeting.

He also charged the previous Congress-led UPA government of hatching a conspiracy to link Hindus with terrorism. “The previous government conspired to link Hindus with terrorism and terrorists inflicting a severe blow on age-old Hindu traditions and culture. We will not allow them to hatch the conspiracy again,” the prime minister said, adding that the “chowkidar” will stand like a “strong wall” to foil any such conspiracy.

Describing the previous government as weak and directionless, the prime minister said it had no confidence in itself, nor did it trust its own military and the people. “That is the reason the country was suffering terror attacks again and again and the government was not able to do anything”, he said.

New India

He said the country had changed now. “It is a new India, which has the capability to enter the enemy territory and hit them right inside their homes,” he said, implying the airstrikes inside Pakistan.

The Prime Minister criticised the Congress and other Opposition parties, claiming that people were angry at their behaviour. “This is the first Lok Sabha election in Indian history in which the ruling party is marching with confidence and the Opposition is crumbling. They have no vision for the country. Their only agenda is 'Modi hatao' (remove Modi)”, he alleged.

Modi also criticised the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government in Odisha and appealed to the people to vote the BJP to power for better development of the state.