Modi takes ‘prince of Congress’ dig at Rahul; predicts he will run from another seat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (April 20) exuded confidence over the BJP’s win in the Lok Sabha polls and took a dig at the Congress, hinting that its leader Rahul Gandhi may now look to fight from another Lok Sabha seat besides Wayanad.

In an interview with Asianet News Network, Modi without taking names, hinted that Rahul may not win from Wayanad, on which he had fallen back on in 2019 after losing the Gandhi family bastion of Amethi, and may look for a win from another seat.

“The prince of Congress fled north and took shelter in the south. He left for Wayanad. This time, his condition is that he is waiting to announce some other seat for himself. As soon as the polling for Wayanad is done on April 26, another seat will be announced for him. He is looking for another seat. Mark my words. This will happen,” Modi said.

Hinting at the shift of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi from the Lok Sabha to the Rajya Sabha, Modi said he had predicted it, asserting that such a move was an acceptance of the party’s “defeat”.

“I had once announced in Parliament that big leaders (of Congress) were no longer going to contest the Lok Sabha elections and they would go to the Rajya Sabha. And a month after I said this, their biggest leader had to leave the Lok Sabha…So this defeat has already been accepted. So, I am completely confident this time.”

Sonia, a Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli recently moved to the Rajya Sabha.

The Congress, however, has been tight-lipped on its candidate from the key seats of Amethi and Rae Bareli.

‘ED’s efficiency grew after 2014’

Lauding the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Modi said the agency’s efficiency has increased manifold after his government came to power in 2014.

Giving numbers to prove his claims, Modi said while the ED filed less than 1,800 cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) before 2014, the number rose exponentially to over 5,000 after the NDA government came to power at the Centre.

He said that the number of raids by the ED also spiked from a mere 84 to 7,000 after 2014.

The Opposition has been accusing the Centre of misusing the central agency to settle scores with political opponents.

Addressing the allegations, Modi said only three per cent of the corruption cases filed by the ED are against politicians – a point he also made at a recent interview with news agency ANI.

“If an institution has been set up to take action against corruption, questions should be asked if it does not do its work. It does not make sense to ask questions because it does its work,” he said.

‘Lok Sabha polls of 2024 critical’

Modi said the Lok Sabha polls of 2024 was “critical” as the people of the country have now experienced “what a stable government can do” after “unstable governments for three decades.”

“I believe that the election of 2024 is not being fought by the BJP or Modi. It is an initiative of the people,” he said.

Speaking about his experience of becoming prime minister in 2014, he said, “The people had hopes from me, and I had hopes of fulfilling the hopes of the people of the country. I don’t rule, I serve. To run a government, for me, doesn’t mean enjoying my post while running a government.”

The prime minister reiterated that people have decided to elect his party to power for another term at the Centre as they can now compare his government with previous dispensations and support him for his work.

"In 2014, we brought hope to the people of India. In 2019, we instilled confidence, and in 2024, we pledge to deliver 'Modi Ki Guarantee' to the people of India," he said.

Christian outreach

Modi also said that the trust of the Christian community in the BJP has grown stronger and the party will continue to do everything possible for their welfare.

Targeting the LDF and UDF in Kerala, Modi said Christians in the state are fed up with the “lies” of these alliances and their trust in BJP has grown stronger.

Modi asserted that members of the community have been supporting the BJP in many places, including Goa and the northeast states.

The BJP has been making concerted efforts to woo the community, who are influential in a number of Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, as the party looks to make a serious impact in the state where it has never been able to win any seat.

Replying to a question, Modi noted the BJP is in power in Goa where Christians are in large numbers, and in the northeast where the community is in a majority in some states and is in big numbers in others.

The BJP and its allies are in power in the most states of the northeast region.

Several chief ministers and ministers are Christians, the prime minister said, noting that he frequently meets leaders of the community and organises Christmas festivities as well.

Community leaders from Kerala tell him how Church properties in the state are facing a crisis due to the LDF and UDF, he said, highlighting his government's efforts to help them, including fishermen.

"Christian community has become fed-up with the lies of the LDF and the UDF," he said.

Acknowledging the community's contributions to health and education sectors, Modi said his government is on board with them on many issues.

"The trust of the Christian community in us has grown stronger and we will continue to do everything possible for their welfare," he said.

In a swipe at the Congress and the Left, the two main formations in Kerala, he said they have been fooling people.

"Both parties are the two sides of the same coin," Modi said, adding the Congress will demand in Kerala that Left leaders should be jailed and but decry "vindictive" politics if they are arrested.

Hitting out at the state's ruling Left front for alleged financial irregularities in cooperative banks run by Left groups, the prime minister said nearly Rs 1 lakh crore belonging to the poor and common persons of the state has been deposited there.

(With inputs from agencies)