Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally emphasized on ‘brand Modi’ ahead of crucial assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh as he told a huge congregation of BJP workers in the capital Bhopal that ‘Modi means guarantee of fulfilling every guarantee’.
The PM referred to himself in third person ‘Modi’ multiple times during his speech, indicating that the Madhya Pradesh BJP will focus on ‘brand Modi’ during the upcoming assembly polls. Modi did not name any other leader including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during his 51-minute speech; not even customarily at the beginning of his address.
The address came at an event that marked the conclusion of the five simultaneous pre-poll ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatras’ taken out in the state during the past fortnight by senior leaders of the party. It also marked the birth anniversary of party ideologue Deendayal Upadhayay and aimed at charging up the workers for upcoming polls. This was PM Modi’s seventh visit to Madhya Pradesh in the past six months.
Modi highlighted the work done by the BJP government for the upliftment of the poor and deprived. His address focused on first-time voters, women voters and expectedly Congress-bashing.
Apart from the usual jibes of focus on a single family, corruption and appeasement politics, Modi said that now the ‘contract of Congress party is with urban naxals’.
He said that the Congress destroyed all states it ruled. “Shouldn’t we save MP from them? Otherwise, it will make MP ‘Bimaru’ state again. Do you want to destroy the future of the youth? Allow Congress leaders to loot all money meant for the state's development? Congress does not have a vision of development and future. It has become like rusted iron that disintegrates in the rain.”
He also said that Congress only criticizes the good work done by the BJP government, including the digital India project, Vande Bharat project, good roads and even the new parliament buildings. It criticizes all the achievements of India and simply spreads negativity.
The PM further said that now the Congress has completely lost its political will and its leaders are silently sitting at home. “They are completely destroyed, have become bankrupt and now they have given out their party on contract. They have outsourced their policies and ideologies to a company. And who has this contract? It is with the urban Naxals and they are the ones calling the shots within the party. The party has become hollow on the ground and the workers are feeling this.
‘Tell people the difference between BJP and Congress’
Taking a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi without naming him, Modi said “The party is still working on the old patterns with old mindset. Those born with silver spoons in their mouth consider the habitations of poor people as picnic and video shoot spots. They consider the farmers’ fields as spots for photo shoots. In the past and even now, they have always attempted to ridicule India’s poverty on international platforms. On the other hand, the BJP has not only made India magnificent but also displayed this magnificence with pride before the world. You have to explain this difference between the two parties at every booth level. You have to visit every home and tell every point to people.”
He further said that the ‘mizaj, mehnat, mission’ (mentality, hard work and mission) of Modi was different. “I came up through deprivation, but I won’t allow my country to remain in deprivation,” Modi said, as he went on to list the schemes of the union government including PM Swanidhi scheme, Mudra loan scheme, Kisan samman scheme and the newer ones like PM Vishwakarma scheme.
The PM said that through these schemes, Modi has stood guarantee (a reference to the government's standing guarantee with the banks) for the various sections of traditional workers, self-employed people and farmers to take bank loans and make their lives better.
‘Women should be alert of tricks by the opposition’
The PM said that he wanted to warn his sisters and daughters that they should be alert to the tricks of Congress and its ‘Ghamandiya’ partners (INDIA alliance) as they will try to mislead them and divide them on the issue of the newly passed women’s reservation bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam).
“They have supported the bill in parliament with a very heavy heart because they are afraid of women who have now become very aware and empowered. Otherwise, why did not they pass the bill despite having majority governments? Now, the parties that always scuttled the bill in the parliament are Congress’s partners and even now after the passage of the bill they are raising questions as to why some provisions are not there. They will make attempts to break the unity of women in this way. But you should remember that they did nothing for the welfare or empowerment of women during their long rule. If they did, then ‘Modi’ would not have to take up work like providing free ration and medical treatment, toilets, pucca houses, domestic gas connections, tap water, and bank accounts for the women. So beware of their divisive tactics,” the PM said.
‘First-time voters should be aware of deprivation earlier generations faced’
The PM said that first-time young voters should understand clearly that Congress was the party responsible for keeping their parents and grandparents in poverty and deprivation. “You have only seen the good governance of the BJP because BJP has been ruling Madhya Pradesh for almost 20 years.
But go home and ask your parents and grandparents to know how Congress failed to do anything for their betterment. Congress intentionally kept the people in deprivation so that they could be dependent on the party for their survival. It wanted the people to remain tangled in the questions of food, housing and clothes so that Congress’s politics could flourish. But the BJP double engine government is committed to work constantly for the uplift of all sections,” he said.
Saying that the party was working with the inspiration of Deendayal Upadhayay’s ideas of ‘antyodaya’ (rise of the last) and with the slogan of ‘sabka sath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas’ (everyone’s support, development, faith and efforts).
Modi said that during the past nine years, the BJP-led government managed to bring about many positive changes. He asked whether Congress was able to fulfil its slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’ (eradicate poverty) given 50 years ago and added that during the BJP rule, 13.5 crore people came out of poverty as per the latest figures (Niti Aayog data).
“This is all the result of the guarantee of Modi. When Modi gives guarantees, the BJP gives guarantees; they are fulfilled on the ground. Remember, Modi means a guarantee of fulfilling the guarantees,” the PM said.
