Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday practically launched the BJP’s campaign for the lok Sabha election 2014 here on the borders of Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir, outlining his vision for the country and how Gujarat model of development could be replicated in the rest of the country.
Addressing the Sankalp rally on the occasion of party founder Shyama Prasad Mookerjee’s 60th death anniversary, the chairman of BJP Campaign Committee launched a blistering attack on the Congress and how it had failed the country and its people on all fronts.
Mookerjee, who had opposed separate constitution and flag for Jammu & Kashmir, was arrested for entering the State without a permit, which was mandatory then. He died in jail after a month.
“The Congress has a habit of forgetting people’s sacrifices. It has deliberately forgotten the first martyr of free India,” Modi said, amid applause from the party workers who came here from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu region.
In the wake of Janata Dal (U) walking out of the NDA, the Gujarat Chief Minister spoke about the need of allies and referred to how Mookerjee formed a non-Congress alliance of 35 MPs to counter the policies of Nehru. He talked about uniting hearts and political parties. “Hum rajnitik dalo ko jodne ka kaam karenge. Hum dilo ko jodne ka kaam karenge,” said Modi.
“Time demands that we move for peace, unity and amity (shanti, ekta and sadbhavana),” he added. Modi also talked about the need to “heal the wounds of Kashmir” and connect its aspiring youth with the national mainstream for the development of the State.
He said had Vajpayee come back to power in 2004, the wounds of the people would have healed and there would have been equitable development in ladakh, Kashmir and Jammu regions of the State. He said guns and bombs do not solve problems, development does. Taking a swipe at the UPA Government, he said there are two heads (Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi) and the people do not know who is genuine. “Our resolve here should be to get rid of the two heads,” he said.
lashing out at the Congress, he said the future of the country is not safe in the hands of the Congress and the youth face bleak prospects.
“I want to ask the Prime Minister what he did to save Sarabjeet Singh. I want to ask the PM what he did when the head of our soldier was cut off within a month they were sitting in Jaipur with chicken biryani…” Modi said, amid cries of Bole So Nihal and Bharat Mata ki jai.
He said, “We have to dream of a Congress Mukt Bharat…The country is suffering. There is a competition these days between the Rupee and Congress. Both are going down.”
Referring to the development in Gujarat, he said that with the same people, same rules and the same system, a change has been brought in Gujarat and this could be done in the rest of the country.
“I want to assure you that there is tremendous potential for development of the country. If the potential of the youth is realised, what could not be done in the last 60 years can be done now,” said the Gujarat Chief Minister.
Earlier, endorsing Modi as the prime ministerial candidate of the NDA, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said, “We will do a Fateh (victory) rally before the actual victory. This will not be an election but a war of independence under Modi... Independence from hunger, poverty, unemployment, corruption,” the septuagenarian added.
Meanwhile, stung by Modi’s statements on beheading of Indian soldiers, the Congress said his remarks were “malicious” and could demotivate the armed forces, which have been pursuing relief operations in flood-hit Uttarakhand.
“People of this country are keenly watching how personal ambitions of a politician in Narendra Modi can make him use such words which would demotivate our armed forces and mar relief operations,” party general secretary Ajay Maken said.
“Many of his utterances, particularly references to national security should have been avoided at a juncture when our Army is saving lives in Uttarakhand. This will demotivate our armed forces, which at this moment are single mindedly pursuing relief operations in Uttarakhand”, said Maken, who is head of the newly constituted Communication Department of the AICC.
He said it is surprising to see the Gujarat Chief Minister, as claimed by a leading newspaper, to have “played the role of Rambo” and saving 15,000 lives in a day.