Their balloon has burst; no one wants to vote for Congress or INDIA bloc, claims PM Modi

Jalandhar, May 24 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued his sharp attack on the INDIA bloc on Friday, saying the "balloon" of the opposition alliance has burst and no one wants to give their vote to it.

Addressing a Lok Sabha poll rally in Jalandhar, his third in Punjab this election season, Modi pointed out that five phases of polling have been held in the country and the sixth phase is scheduled to be held on Saturday, for which campaigning has ended.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister addressed a rally in Gurdaspur district. His first Lok Sabha poll rally in Punjab was in Patiala on Thursday.

"Their balloon has burst," Modi said, adding that no one wants to give their vote to the Congress and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

"If you stand on a chowk in Jalandhar and ask 100 people whose government is going to be formed, 90 will say Modi's government will return," he said.

When people have made up their mind to form the Modi government again, then who will commit the mistake of voting for someone else, he said.

The country has seen a new period in the last 10 years, the prime minister said, adding that during the Congress rule, people were plagued by problems that were resolved by him.

While there was a time when the danger of terrorism was increasing in the country, his government has broken its back, Modi said.

"The country understands that where there is the Congress, problems will remain. Where there is the BJP, there are solutions. That is why the entire country is saying in one voice -- on June 4?" he asked the gathering that replied, saying "400 paar" (more than 400 seats for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the ongoing polls).

Punjab is the land of gurus but the Congress never treated it more than a piece of land, the prime minister said while accusing the grand old party of dividing the state in 1947 to give power to one family.

"Kartapur Sahib is close to our border, but the Congress handed it to Pakistan," he said, referring to the country's partition.

Twenty-five crore people have been brought out of poverty during the current BJP rule, Modi said, adding that the economy was in crisis in the Congress era and now, India has become the world's fifth-largest economy for the first time. PTI