LUCKNOW: At a time when UP's ruling Samajwadi Party is hit by intense infighting and ugly clashes of egos, Prime Minister Narendra Modi got an opportune time to launch a blistering attack on all the three rival parties--- SP, BSP and Congress – calling them parties of pariwaar, paisa and beta (family, money and son), who were least concerned about the issues of common man.
Addressing a mammoth rally-- the first post-demonetisation grace period—attended by over six lakh people cramped to the brim at the venue with the capacity of five lakh in Lucknow on Monday, the prime minister said that the change was imminent in the state. “People were fed up as ruling party is busy saving its family grace, other is weighed down by corruption and laundering charges and busy saving its money while the one with minimal presence is striving to secure its leader’s political future,” said Modi adding that the BJP was the only viable option which could provide a clean, honest and development-oriented government to the state.
All praise for good governance provided by the previous BJP government’s headed by Kalyan Singh, Ram Prakash Gupta and Rajnath Singh in UP, the Prime Minister said there had been a 14-year exile for development in the state since BJP government’s went out of power. “Now this exile is about to end which is very much reflected by the presence of such a huge sea of humanity which has turned up in support of ‘change’ (Parivartan rally),” said the Prime Minister.
“For us this election is not an issue of victory or defeat, rather it is a responsibility towards the people to take them along and move on the path of development (Sabka Saath, sabka vikas),” stated the Prime minister.
Stressing on the development plank and seeking a majority mandate, Modi said it was imperative to develop UP to ensure India’s growth. “If we have the support of UP, we can can change the face if India as nation can’t grow till its biggest state prospers,” he added.
Taking a jibe at sworn rivals SP-BSP, the Prime Minister said the always baying for each other’s blood, both the adversaries were together on a common platform at least on the issue of note ban. “I say remove corruption and black money, they say remove Modi. Now you have to decide,” the Prime Minister told the gathering reiterating his resolve to continue his fight against corruption and black money in the country.
Counting on the development schemes initiated by Centre, the Prime Minister took on the state government for alleged non-cooperation in the execution saying that state was not a priority for the present dispensations which was busy in land grabbing, hooliganism and gunda raj all through the last four and half years.
He exhorted the people to uproot such an ‘insensitive’ government and give mandate to BJP to establish the rule of peace and prosperity and honesty in the state.
The Prime Minister also paid tribute to Ambedkar for his understanding of economic issues by claiming that the Centre introduced ‘BHIM App’ in post-demonetisation phase to promote digital transactions. “It also handed out distress to certain political quarters,” wondered the Prime Minister hinting at BSP’s reaction to it.
Commenting on country’s political flavour, the Prime Minister felt that healthy politics was acceptable among the political parties but “people should be spared.”
Modi also evoked former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who represented Lucknow in Lok Sabha for a number of times, for his relentless efforts for the development of the state capital.
Earlier, prominent among those present on the occasion and addressed the rally included, BJP national chief, Amit Shah and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh apart from Central Minister Kalraj Mishra, Uma Bharti, party’s state unit chief Keshav Maurya and a number of other state level leaders.