Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday criticised the Congress for its poll promises, saying that it would bankrupt the country.
“Congress’ habit of making guarantees is not new, but old,” Modi said during a rally in Rajasthan’s Ajmer. “Fifty years ago, Congress gave the nation a guarantee to end poverty, and this is the biggest betrayal of the poor by them. To hide its failures, Congress has now come up with a new formula of false guarantees.”
He was referring to the Congress’ “five guarantees” to voters in Karnataka. The party won 135 out of 224 seats in the Assembly elections that took place on May 10, registering the biggest victory in the state by any party since 1989. The Bharatiya Janata Party could manage to get only 66 seats and was voted out from the only state in which it was in power in south India.
In the run-up to the polls, the Congress had promised to provide 200 units of free electricity to all households, Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family, 10 kilograms of free rice to all members of families living below the poverty line, free bus travel for women and Rs 3,000 to those unemployed for up to two years after graduation and Rs 1,500 for unemployed diploma holders.
At Wednesday’s rally, Modi accused the Congress of misleading the poor and keeping them deprived. This is his fourth visit to poll-bound Rajasthan this year, according to NDTV.
“The people of Rajasthan have also suffered a lot because of this…” he said. “And what has Rajasthan got? A government where MLAs, the CM [Ashok Gehlot], and ministers fight among themselves.”
He was referring to the feud between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot.
The prime minister said that his government has been dedicated to the service of the people, good governance and the welfare of the poor since coming to power in 2014.
“What was the situation before 2014?” he asked. “People were on the streets against corruption, there were terrorist attacks in big cities, the Congress government was scared of building roads at borders, crime against women was high, there was a superpower above the PM [prime minister].”
He also criticised the Congress for boycotting the inauguration of the new Parliament building in New Delhi.
“India got a new Parliament building three days back,” the prime minister said. “I ask you whether you are proud of it or not. Did you feel joy about the increase in India’s prestige? The Congress and some parties like it hurled the mud of politics on this too.”
Twenty Opposition parties, including the Congress, had boycotted the ceremony, saying that Modi’s decision to inaugurate the building instead of President Draupadi Murmu was “not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy”. They accused him of sidelining India’s first Adivasi president from this significant national event.
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