Modi cites IT raids to hit out at Kamal Nath

The recent income tax raids on Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s two close aides came in handy for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch a blistering attack on the Congress “culture of corruption” in the election rallies at Sidhi and Jabalpur on Friday.

Without taking names of Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Kamal Nath, the Prime Minister said his government would not spare anyone, whether he is “Naamdar” or his hangers-on because the Chowkidar is alert.

He accused the MP Congress government of embezzling funds sent by the Centre for providing succour to pregnant women and tribal children. "They smuggled out that money to the Congress office in New Delhi to fund the party’s campaigning," he said.

The PM’s speech was largely focused on alleged corruption in the state’s four-month-old Congress government. He cautioned the people against a party which started committing sins in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh within six months of coming to power.

Polling in Sidhi and Jabalpur is slated on April 29 along with four more seats in the Mahakoshal region.

This was the Prime Minister’s first election tour in Madhya Pradesh. Earlier, Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed election rallies in Jabalpur and Shahdol on April 23.

Modi's final push

The Mahakoshal is important for both the parties as their state president hails from the region. State BJP chief Rakesh Singh is pitted against Congress’ Vivek Tankha in Jabalpur. Chief Minister and PCC chief Kamal Nath ‘s son Nakul Nath is fighting his maiden election from Chhindwara.

Modi’s rallies are being seen as a final push to the BJP’s campaigning in the six seats, which otherwise have been in the news largely for internal dissent among cadres over candidate selection.

The Congress is upbeat in the four Mahakoshal seats as it won 21 out of 31 seats of the region in the assembly election held in November last year.