Modi says he wants Congress out of power for 100 years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Congress was “expert” in reversing the country's progress and asked voters to deprive it of power for at least 100 years.

He was speaking at a rally at Chhatarpur in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh ahead of the November 17 assembly elections. “The way a vehicle takes us back in the reverse gear, the Congress is also an expert at reverse gear and converting good governance into bad governance,” he said.

When it was in power in MP, the party did not do anything to resolve the water woes of Bundelkhand which had a rich heritage of water bodies about 100 years ago, and the people there craved for water for a long time, Modi said. He asked voters to make Congress too crave by depriving it of power for at least 100 years, so that it reforms for good. “The Congress, filled with the mentality of slavery, neither understood the development of the country nor did it have anything to do with the country's heritage,” Modi said.

The Congress termed Lord Ram as an imaginary character so as to stop the Ram temple being built in Ayodhya, the prime minister alleged. “Congress had also opposed the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. Congress had also opposed the country's first tribal woman president. Congress also opposes medical and engineering education in Indian languages,” he said.

While accusing the grand old party of sitting on the women's reservation bill for long, not giving a constitutional status to the OBC commission and opposing the triple talaq prohibition law, Modi alleged that self-interest was supreme for the Congress even if the country had to pay for it. Congress governments delayed or put off welfare schemes until the party leaders' coffers were not filled, the prime minister alleged.

Modi also accused the Opposition party of administering “sweet poison” by making big poll announcements like free electricity. “When Congress promises to bring the sun and moon, you should understand that something is wrong. Whenever Congress makes big promises, assume that it is preparing to give sweet poison. This has happened in many states,” he said.

"In one state, the Congress had promised free electricity and the people trusted the Congress, but as soon as the government was formed, it started increasing electricity prices. There were severe power cuts. The result was that industries collapsed and people started losing jobs. Now welfare schemes for the poor are being closed one by one,” Modi said.

Wherever Congress gets power, it brings only destruction, the prime minister said. “Congress has one 'Panja' (hand, the party's election symbol) which is used only to snatch things from the poor. We have to save ourselves and Madhya Pradesh from the Panja of the Congress,” he said.

(With agency inputs)