Prime Minister Narendra Modi dubbed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as the “Murkhon ke Sardar” (chief of fools) during an election campaign rally in Betul in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. While addressing the public, Modi criticised the Gandhi scion for falsely claiming that only “made in China” phones are available in India.
“Yesterday, I heard that an expert from the Congress party claimed that everyone in India has a ‘made in China’ cell phone. The expert said that all phones in India are made in China. Murkhon ke Sardar (Lord of Fools), where do these people live in this world? Congress leaders have developed a mental illness of undermining the achievements of the country,” Modi lambasted Rahul without explicitly mentioning his name.
Modi also took potshots at Rahul’s frequent mysterious foreign trips, saying, “I don’t know about the foreign spectacles they wear that make them unable to see the development in the country. The truth is that today, India is the second-largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world. When Congress was at the Centre, mobiles worth less than `20,000 crore were manufactured every year in India. Today, mobile phones worth `3.5 lakh crore are made in India,” the PM said.
The former Congress president, in an election rally, had remarked that the mobile phones in people’s pockets were “Made in China” and suggested they should be “Made in Madhya Pradesh”. “India exports mobile phones worth approximately `1 lakh crore to other countries.”
The PM stated that those who only remember “Make in India” before the election season do not understand the importance of Swadeshi. In his election campaign speech, Modi also highlighted that people are now “vocal for local” and have purchased India-made products worth `4.4 lakh crores during Diwali.
“Congress leaders don’t know what to say to the people. The Congress has accepted that their fake promises don’t stand a chance in front of Modi’s guarantees,” he said.
The PM announced that the Centre will launch a scheme worth `24,000 crore for the welfare of tribals in the country on Wednesday, coinciding with the entire nation celebrating Bhagwan Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary.
Modi noted the significant presence of people on the last day of his campaign for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled for November 17, stating that it is an indication that the BJP’s victory is assured in these polls.