Union minister Manoj Sinha on Monday described the Opposition alliance against the Bharatiya Janata Party as a “den of corrupt leaders” and claimed the people will not elect a “head clerk” to run a coalition government at the Centre, The Indian Express reported.

The minister of state for communications claimed the country would not be safe in the hands of a coalition government. “All previous governments formed with alliance partners headed by Chaudhary Charan Singh, HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral could not last long,” he said.

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Sinha said that the Opposition was unable to match the BJP’s leadership and performance, The Times Of India reported. “They are hoping to stitch an alliance,” he told reporters in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut. “However, this country knows their history.”

Sinha took a jibe at Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, whose Janata Dal (Secular) is running a coalition government with the Congress in the state. He said that Kumaraswamy had himself remarked that he has been acting as a clerk and not as the chief minister to run the state with alliance partners. “I am sure the people of our country will not vote [in General Elections] to elect a head clerk to run a government formed by coalition partners,” he added.

Sinha applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and listed out several government welfare schemes, the Navbharat Times reported. “The upcoming Lok Sabha elections will be fought on Modi’s performance,” he said. “The government has made great progress where national security is concerned.”

Sinha claimed that the number of militants killed in Jammu and Kashmir under the Modi government was greater than those collectively killed during previous governments. “Naxalism is in its last phase and the BJP government works with total transparency under the leadership of our prime minister,” he said. “The Opposition cannot accuse the government of corruption.”