India
Modi said, 'The Congress loves to divide the country along caste lines. They love to split us among poor and rich, men and women, urban and poor. Congress believes in the politics of vote-bank.'
Ajmer: Amid ‘har har Modi, ghar ghar Modi’ chants and occasional use of Rajasthani language, Prime Minister Narendra Modi kickstarted the campaign phase of Assembly elections, even before the Election Commission announced the poll dates. Modi, while slamming the Congress, said: “I will come as many time you will call me, even if it’s a booth level meeting, this (BJP) volunteer will be there.”
The mood, euphoria among the crowd, optics, sharp digs at the Congress and Modi appearing in his classic avatar, all were clear signals that elections are here.
Five major points made by PM Modi at the rally
1. The Congress loves to divide the country along caste lines. They love to split us among poor and rich, men and women, urban and poor. Congress believes in the politics of vote-bank. We believe in the politics of governance. Hence, their idea of development is selective. Our idea of development is uniform.
2. The Congress believes in a brand of politics in which only one family is important. Vasundhara Raje’s government believes in accountability. The Congress’s local representatives don’t visit their constituencies because they want to keep only one family happy. But for us, keeping 7.5 crore people (of Rajasthan) happy is the key to our success.
3. The Congress indulges in falsehood. The Congress steals. Tenders were given to ‘chacha’ (uncle) and ‘mama’ (maternal uncle). That’s what they understand. The Congress questioned the daring surgical strikes.
4. Rajasthan is the tourism capital of India. We are not only developing riverfronts but have also developed Lake Pushkar.
5. Under the NDA’s development model, we have extended maternal leave, made triple talaq a criminal offence and are trying to bring a law which will punish even minors for heinous crimes like rape.
In her speech, chief minister Raje attacked the Congress and said the previous governments were unsuccessful in rolling out basic development projects which were essential for the welfare of the people.
The public rally in Ajmer marked the conclusion of Raje's much-publicised Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra. The Ajmer district has eight Assembly constituencies, seven of which are represented by BJP MLAs. The Congress has only one seat — that of Nasirabad. The BJP, which had lost the Ajmer Lok Sabha constituency to Congress in bypolls held earlier this year, is trying to build a favourable atmosphere.
Some highlights of Raje's speech
1. We have successfully completed and initiated development and welfare projects worth Rs 4 lakh crore. The previous Congress government could finish projects worth only Rs 1 lakh crore.
2. PM Modi’s decision to slash fuel prices has come as a big relief for the farmers.
3. The Central government's flagship crop insurance scheme has been a huge hit in Rajasthan. Funds worth Rs 3,000 crore have been distributed among the farmers.
4. The Eastern Rajasthan Canal scheme is all set to be rolled out with support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
5. The Congress took 50 years to build seven medical colleges in the state, whereas the NDA government constructed seven colleges in just five years.
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