CHANDIGARH/MUMBAI : Kickstarting campaigning for Assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, saying those seeking audit of his performance of four months in power, have done little in the last 60 years. Addressing supporters in Karnal in Haryana, Modi slammed the Congress for pulling down the State’s growth and sought a clear mandate for the BJP. Terming the Congress rule as “anti-farmer”, the Prime Minister rubbished the party’s claim of Haryana being the No 1 State, pointing out that it lagged in several areas, including literacy, per capita income, poverty alleviation and health index.
“Which poor has got a plot? But then, where have thousands of acres of land disappeared? Who has taken this? Does Haryana want to settle its account,” Modi said, in a veiled reference to alleged land deals involving Sonia’s son-in-law Robert Vadra. Taking aim at the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Modi asked the voters whether they would like to be governed from the jail. INLD chief and former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala has been convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail in a teachers’ recruitment scam case.
In Maharashtra, Modi struck a chord with the voters, beginning his Beed, Aurangabad and Mumbai rallies in Marathi. Promising to restore the State’s lost glory, the Prime Minister said the BJP would take Maharashtra ahead of Gujarat, if voted to power. In a tactical move, Modi made no references to former ally Shiv Sena. Slamming the erstwhile Congress-NCP combine over corruption, Modi accused it of “destroying a whole generation”.