Modi said, 'The entire adulteration by smaller parties is made to keep the Congress alive. They (smaller parties) are serving oxygen to the Congress. Saans lene ki takat nahi hai usme (It can't breathe)'
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday interacted with an estimated 1 crore BJP cadre and volunteers from 15,000 locations across the country, under the 'Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot' initiative, communicating with them through video conferencing, and taking some questions as well.
The first such question was taken from Tripura, highlighting how important the Northeast would be for the BJP in the upcoming general election. What the BJP calls the "world's largest video conference", Modi tried to mobilise support from the general public and stress upon the importance of efforts by the cadre right at the booth level to win the election. The Prime Minister revealed that on March 2, the BJP will hold a bike rally across India, seeking support for the party in the upcoming 2019 general election. These are the seven things Modi said at the conference:
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1. Modi began by lauding the Indian armed forces. "Aap hai to hum hai" (We exist because you are there for us), said the Prime Minister praising our bravehearts. Modi said the country is and would be united at this crucial juncture. "When the enemy supports terror and carries out an act of terror against India, it is with the intent that India's progress gets stalled. But we must all ensure that we stand together, stand united, stand with our soldiers," Modi said. This statement assumes significance after the BJP alleged that the joint press statement by 21 opposition parties is being used by Pakistan, against India.
2. The Prime Minister said that India today is being powered by the youth. "Today, the youth are determined to take India to new heights... to do something for our country, to work for the progress of our country," said Modi. He said India is at a juncture from where success is not far and stressed on the work done by his government.
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3. Modi hit out at the opposition for objecting to a "strong government". The Prime Minister said, "Only a strong government can take strong decisions. But today, there are elements who are afraid of a strong government. In fact, they object to it." It was an apparent dig at the opposition and particularly at Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati.
4. Modi drew a parallel between pre-2014 and post-2014 India. "Today India talks about ease of doing business. If you lose sight, we can go back to the era of ease of doing corruption," he said. He highlighted the scandals that dotted the UPA-2 regime, namely the 2G scam, coal scam, Adarsh housing society scam and so on.
5. In a move that will boost the morale of the grassroot workers ahead of the general election, Modi told the party cadre in a one-to-one interaction that it's they who constitute the crux of the party. "You are our strength, you win the election," said Modi. He continued, "Booth soldiers need to step up now. If you win your booth, if you win the hearts of people, you can work directly for the nation."
6. Modi wooed people from the south, which is not a traditional BJP bastion. He talked about Kerala and Andhra Pradesh in great detail. He hit out at the Congress and former BJP ally Chandrababu Naidu, urging the people of Andhra Pradesh to vote for the BJP to usher in change.
7. What, however, stole the show was Modi terming the mahagathbandhan as 'mahamilavat' (huge adulteration). While answering a cadre from Jhargram in Bengal, Modi said, "The entire adulteration by smaller parties is made to keep the Congress alive. They (smaller parties) are serving oxygen to the Congress. Saans lene ki takat nahi hai usme (It can't breathe)... But this amalgamation is like water and oil." Modi also took the opportunity to hit out at Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and stressed on the relationship between the Left and Trinamool Congress, highlighting the acrimonious and often violent history between the two parties. "This mahamilavat can put the country in ICU," alleged Modi.
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