Oppn driven by ‘vote bank’ politics not country’s interest: PM Modi

PTI, Feb 24, 2022, 6:52 PM IST

Amethi/Prayagraj: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday attacked opposition parties, saying guided by “vote bank and dynastic politics”, they have always sacrificed the interest of the country and the poor.

Modi also questioned the “silence” of rivals over the court’s recent verdict on Ahmedabad blasts, saying, “Being hostage to vote bank politics, they would even not hesitate to insult the army or the police”.

Modi was addressing a rally for nine constituencies of Amethi and neighbouring Sultanpur. The prime minister’s remarks came days after a special court in Ahmedabad sentenced to death 38 members of the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen in the 2008 serial blasts case. The court also sentenced 11 other convicts to life imprisonment.

Modi started the day with the election rally in Amethi and later went to Prayagraj for his second public meeting.

At the Prayagraj rally, PM Modi said two crore people visited Mecca and around one crore visited Vatican City in Rome in 2019.

These countries had given facilities for the visiting devotees, he said. “But, if we do the same in India, these people see this through the lens of communalism,” he said attacking the rivals.

Modi appealed to the youths to remain beware of dynasts who are “hostage” to vote bank politics.

He also sought to puncture the euphoria of opponents over voting in the first four phases of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, saying “people have showered blessings on the BJP in abundance, proving that the rivals’ math on division of votes has gone wrong”.

Assembly constituencies of Sultanpur were included in the first rally while BJP candidates of Pratapgarh were also present in the second meeting.

The prime minister fondly remembered February 24, saying on this day, he had launched PM Kisan Yojna three years back and also became an MLA for the first time 20 years ago from Rajkot in Gujarat.

Before independence, there was inner party democracy in the Congress and different people headed it but after the independence, the leadership of the party rested with only one family, the prime minister said at the rally in Amethi.

“Other parties, including the SP, have copied this and the sequence of power transfer from father to son continues. The dynasts care only for their family interest and giving the interest of the poor and the country a go-by,” Modi said.

“Whereas in the BJP, since the days of the Jana Sangh, has never been a ‘father-son Ltd company’ and different people hailing from varied regions have held the chair of party president,” he said.

Modi said he took the Covid vaccine only after the jabs were given to health workers and others and so was his elderly mother.

“Neither me nor my 100-year-old mother jumped the line and took the jab. When the government started giving booster doses, my mother who has no co-morbidity did not take it,” he said giving some examples.

He further said during rules of the dynasts in Uttar Pradesh, ministers had not much relevance as the man at the helm in office used to “distribute districts and departments among family members”.

“The officials knew very well that the ministers had not much importance and would follow the instruction of ‘super ministers’ (family members) to improve their CR so that they can get plum posting,” he said.

In an apparent dig at Rahul Gandhi, he said the person whom the people had blessed here (Amethi) for long but “chased away” in 2019 to Kerala, did not miss an opportunity to question the wisdom of people here.

Amethi Lok Sabha MP Smriti Irani and Sultanpur MP Maneka Gandhi were present on the dais. While Irani addressed the rally, Maneka Gandhi did not address the gathering. At the Prayagraj rally, Modi mocked the poll promises of the rivals on employment and said while only two lakh jobs were provided in 10 years before 2017 in Uttar Pradesh on the basis of “favouritism and bundle of notes”, the Yogi Adityanath government generated five lakh government jobs in as many years with complete transparency.

BSP ruled UP from 2007-12 while Akhilesh Yadav was in power in the state from 2012-17.