BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi hit back at his bitter rival Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday, calling him ‘arrogant’ whose Government appeared to be ‘happy’ after the Patna bombings.
Addressing an election rally in tribal heartland Bastar region in Chhattisgarh, Modi said, “Chhattigarh Chief Minister behaved as a sensitive person and constituted a high-level inquiry and personally met family members of Congress leaders killed in blasts by Maoists on May 25, but the Bihar Chief Minister behaved in an ‘arrogant’ manner and even failed to admit mistakes when a series of bombs went off in and around the BJP rally late last month which killed six persons and injured dozens’’.
“The Chhattisgarh Government was very serious and sensitive when blasts rocked Congress leaders, but the Bihar Government appeared to be ‘happy’ when questions were raised about the Patna blasts,’’ Modi claimed at a massive rally in his 40-minute long speech in Bastar region which is known as leftist insurgents hotbed since late 1980s. He claimed, ‘a conspiracy’ was hatched to kill BJP leaders in Patna’.
Modi had also hit out at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Referring to Rahul, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate said “the shahzada in Delhi is taking credit for adopting Food Security Bill in the country, but the fact is that BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh was the first State in the country to have implemented Food Security Bill years back’’. “The people of Chhattisgarh have done an excellent work by voting out Congress in the first ever Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh in 2003,’’ Modi said amid cheers and clapping by massive gathering of tribal people of voice-hit Bastar region.
“Chhattisgarh would have been ruined and devastated, had the Congress been allowed to govern the State. Chhattisgarh has made tremendous progress in the past 10 years during the BJP rule and now it’s must for the people of the State to allow the BJP Government to continue for rapid development,’’ Modi remarked.
He added that Congress-led UPA Government failed to deliver its all commitments and the nation was reeling under all sorts of troubles, burdens and scams. Modi heaped praise on Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and observed, “Chhattisgarh will overtake Gujarat in development and I would be personally very happy if it happens in coming up years during the BJP regime.”
Modi urged people to give up thought and tendency of voting to any party on basis of caste or communalism and vote only for development because “development’ should be the lone criteria for voting’’. Chhattisgarh is scheduled to elect a new 90-member assembly in two-phased polls this month. Voting for 18 Assembly seats will be held on November 11, while remaining 72 on November 19.