‘I remove corruption, Opposition strives to protect the corrupt’: PM Modi in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the Opposition strives to protect the corrupt while his motto is to remove corruption. Addressing a public rally in Bihar’s Nawada ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Modi also claimed that the Congress’s Lok Sabha poll manifesto that was released on Friday has an imprint of the Muslim League and said it is nothing more than an appeasement draft.

Attacking the Congress for criticising him for raising the abrogation of Article 370 in an election rally in Rajasthan, Modi said, “I feel ashamed of them. Is J&K not part of India? Bravehearts from Bihar, Rajasthan and other parts of the country laid down their lives for protecting J&K. This is the language of the ‘tukde-tukde’ gang and no wonder, the Congress manifesto has an imprint of the Muslim League and is nothing more than an appeasement draft. They neither care for the nation’s culture and heritage nor for its security and development. They just want power. The opposition alliance is dishing out lies and speaking against Sanatan Dharma. They are getting jittery as Modi’s guarantee has brought down curtains on their vote bank shops.”

Earlier on Friday, he had made similar remarks during his poll campaign, where he said that the Congress thinking today reflects the thinking of erstwhile Muslim League and leftists and such a Congress can’t take the country forward.

Modi said that the Congress leaders’ desperation was so high that some of them were talking about another division of the country. “They don’t deserve even one vote. They don’t even have an acceptable leader. One leader is saying he would not campaign till his name was announced as the PM candidate. The infighting has intensified in the opposition alliance. It is fielding one candidate, and another gets up to fight from there in Bihar,” he said.

He said that the Opposition had become habitual of corruption and was desperate for power like a fish out of water. “This is reason enough to keep the Opposition alliance away from power. They hold hands in Delhi under compulsion and hurl abuses on one another in states. I talk about removing corruption, they strive to protect the corrupt,” he added.

He said that the opposition was getting nervous of ‘Modi’s guarantees’ for a prosperous and developed India, as its leaders were aware that the last 10 years of his rule give overwhelming reasons people to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) again.

Maintaining that Modi walks the talk, he listed his government’s achievements. “Didn’t Modi give guarantee to remove Article 370, implement Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s Constitution in Jammu & Kashmir, abolish triple talak, end the 500-year wait for Ram Temple in Ayodhya? Did all these not happen?” he said.

He said that despite all surveys and media reports suggesting that NDA would cross the 400-mark, some people ask why then is Modi working so hard. “My answer to them is that Modi is not born to relax and enjoy. Modi is born to do hard work for serving the people. If today, India has become a force to reckon with in the world, it is not because of Modi. It is because of the power of vote and my effort is to seek your blessings to continue on the path the nation has chosen for me,” he added.

Modi said that the pace and scale of development in the last 10 years was unimaginable and was reflected through the support and love of the people across the country, including Bihar. “I had said from the Red Fort, this is the time, this is the right time for India. This time has arrived after a long wait and we don’t have to let it go. We have to together work for a developed India,” he added.

He also praised Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar saying that those who had to spend a lot of time in “Jungle Raj” are witnessing a refreshing change in the state due to the hard work of chief minister Nitish Kumar and former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi.

“I have lived poverty and so the dreams of the poor are my resolves. This is the reason why 25-crore people could come out of poverty in the last 10 years, the women in villages could get gas connection and houses and toilets could be made available to the poor. Modi is the son of the poor and committed to serving the poor. Ask any poor and each one of them will tell you how the welfare schemes have touched their lives in one way or the other. Those who had to spend a lot of time in jungle Raj are witnessing a refreshing change in Bihar due to the hard work of Nitish Kumar and former Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi. They pulled the state out of jungle Raj” he added.

Modi also took a dig at the Opposition alliance and reminded the people of “the misrule” of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) regime.

Earlier, Nitish Kumar reminded the people of the state’s situation prior to 2005 when the NDA government was formed and the efforts it took to pull the state out of that situation where people preferred staying indoors after dusk. “It is after a lot of effort that Bihar has reached here and the younger generation needs to be reminded of the horrific tales to have a real assessment of the strides the state has made,” he added.

Union ministers Giriraj Singh, Nityanand Rai, deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, Bihar ministers Vijay Kunar Choudhary and Ashok Choudhary and Lok Janshakti Party-Ramvilas (LJP-R) chief Chirag Paswan were among a host of leaders present on the occasion. Vivek Thakur of the BJP is contesting from Nawada for the first time. The seat was earlier with the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).