Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday marked two years of the Bharatiya Janata Party being in power, saying they had managed to bring down corruption in the country like never before, after people had been “looted for years”. Modi said they had clamped down on corrupt practices worth Rs 36,000 crore in various government schemes, and that they had “achieved a lot” despite being under serious pressure from opponents. Modi was speaking at the National Democratic Alliance’s “Ek Nayi Subah” anniversary event at India Gate, New Delhi. The event was organised on a massive scale, with top ministers and celebrities attending.

Blaming unnamed Opposition parties for obstructing the BJP’s otherwise “good governance”, Modi said people would be able to see this and decide for themselves. Making the most of his corruption narrative, Modi mentioned various past scams that the United Progressive Alliance governments had been involved in and said it was clear that they were a thing of the past.

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“The trust of people is growing day by day. This also increases our confidence…On one hand there is the agenda of development and on the other hand is the agenda of obstructionism,” he said, according to PTI.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, on Saturday led a procession of party workers in a protest against the BJP government at the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi, saying they had not been able to provide adequate water and electricity to the people. “…But false promises cannot take this country forward, only hard work can... I indulge in politics based on Mahatma Gandhi's ideology, I can never indulge in politics of lies and false promises,” Gandhi said according to NDTV. He said the BJP had no business celebrating when the country was gripped by drought and farmers were committing suicide.