BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi launched the party’s lok Sabha election campaign in style from Tamil Nadu on Thursday by addressing a mammoth rally at the G Corner, a parade ground used by the Indian Railways. Modi asked the people of Tamil Nadu to vote out the Congress to save India from a disaster.
“The Congress is a political party following divisive politics. The divisive character of the Congress is engraved in its DNA. It divided the country on communal lines immediately after the Independence for which the Hindus, Muslims and other minorities fought together since 1857. Even after the Independence, it divided the Indian electorate to further the party’s vote-bank politics. The Congress survived all these years by inculcating a fear psychosis in the minds of the minorities and playing the perpetual minority card,” said Modi while addressing a crowd of about 1,00,000.
He said Congress is making States fight each other over river water sharing and borders.Modi said the person who knew the Congress inside out was none other than Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. “Gandhiji knew the evil designs of the Congress. That’s why he demanded that the party be wound up immediately after the Independence. Now the responsibility of fulfilling Gandhiji’s dream has come to us. We should use the earliest opportunity to wind up the Congress,” he said.
Interestingly, Modi never mentioned any Congress leaders by their names in his one-hour-long speech. The entire speech was devoted to highlight the all-round failure of the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre.
Modi pointed out that even soldiers are not safe in India. “Our mothers, sisters and brothers are being murdered by terrorists on a daily basis. Even soldiers of the Indian Army are being killed by Pakistanis in Indian territory. The Chinese make as many incursions as possible. But the Manmohan Singh Government has failed to react to these killings or even issue a warning to the aggressors. And now in the name of diplomacy, the Prime Minister is going to have a biriyani lunch with his Pakistani counterpart,” said Modi. Modi began his speech after observing a minute silence in the memory of those who were killed by terrorists on Wednesday.
Touching a cord with the people of Tamil Nadu, Modi, who is also the Chief Minister of Gujarat said his State and Tamil Nadu share a lot of commonalities. “Tamil Nadu played a major role in making Ahmedabad the Manchester of India. We are the major cotton producers in the country while Tamil Nadu consumes a major chunk of the cotton. Both of us have a long coastline. And the fishermen of both the States face a lot of problems. While the fishermen of Gujarat are abducted and tortured by Pakistan, fishermen from Tamil Nadu have to face the wrath of the Sri lankan Navy. But the Central Government, which is responsible for the safety of the fishermen, keep studied silence over the issue. The UPA Government is incapable of raising its voice against any of the aggressors attacking the country,” he said.
Modi said that Monday’s Supreme Court verdict on the Aadhaar card vindicated his stance on the issue.
Rajnath Singh, BJP’s national president who spoke exhorted all the youth to get their names enrolled in the voters list and encourage their friends too to do the same. “For us, the youth is going to be our national asset,” said Singh.
The BJP chief said the nation needed a strong leader and that’s why the party projected Narendra Modi as the PM candidate. “The Congress is afraid of Modi because they know the party is no match for him. So they have started tormenting him with the CBI. The BJP will stand behind him if the Congress pursues its policy of victimisation and tormenting,” warned Singh.
The apex court of the country has asked the Union Government some pertinent questions which I have been asking them for the last three years. Though I wrote many letters to the Prime Minister about the lacuna and grey areas of the Aadhar card, he has not bothered to reply. Now, the Supreme Court has asked the Centre, the questions which I have been asking them,” said Modi.
According to the BJP leader, the country has lost thousands of crores on the Aadhar card project.
“This money could have been used to feed the poor. But the UPA Government does not have any concerns for the poor. It is only bothered about the welfare and happiness of the select few billionaires. That’s why public sector banks publish the pictures and profiles of micro and small businessmen who fail to return loan of Rs 1,00,000 which they have borrowed from them. But the banks are silent about loans worth billions of rupees borrowed by the corporate houses and which they never pay back,” charged Modi.
He also pointed out that power stations with installed capacity of 20,000 MW has been shut down because of the failure of the Union Government to deliver coal and liquefied natural gas which it had promised earlier. Most places of the country suffer from load shedding ranging from four to eight hours a day, he said.
Appreciating the presence of such a mammoth crowd in the meeting, Modi said: “I have never seen such an ocean of people in my life. You have given me new strength and confidence. I assure you that if you repose your faith and trust in us, we will never let you down,” he assured the crowd.
Rajnath Singh, BJP’s national president who spoke exhorted all the youth in the country to get their names enrolled in the voters list and encourage their friends too to do the same. “For us, the youth is going to be our national asset,” said Singh.
The BJP chief said the nation needed a strong leader at this juncture and that was why the party projected Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate. “The Congress is afraid of Narendra Modi because they know the party is no match for him. So they have started tormenting him with the CBI. The BJP will stand solidly behind him if the Congress pursues its policy of victimisation and tormenting,” warned Singh.