PM Modi targets 'two princes' Rahul and Akhilesh, accuses them of attacking 'faith'
LUCKNOW: Even as voting for eight seats in western UP got underway during phase-I of the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a huge public rally in Amroha, another western UP seat, on Friday to seek support for BJP candidate Kanwar Singh Tanwar.
Referring to the Akhilesh Yadav-Rahul Gandhi alliance in Uttar Pradesh, the PM said the people of UP had already rejected the "film starring two princes" who had again come together to attack "our faith" while carrying the basket of "nepotism, corruption and appeasement".
"Once again the shooting of a film starring two princes is going on in UP, which has already been rejected. Every time these people set out to ask for votes from the people of UP carrying the basket of nepotism, corruption and appeasement," PM Modi said in Amroha.
Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi contested the 2017 Lok Sabha elections in alliance. The alliance, however, could not stop the BJP from scoring a landslide victory.
"During their campaign, these people leave no opportunity to attack our faith. The Congress candidate from here has difficulty even saying 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'," PM Modi said referring to Danish Ali without taking his name. Danish Ali is the sitting BSP MP from Amroha. He was suspended by the party last year and joined the Congress which made him its candidate in Amroha. The BJP has pinned its hopes on Kanwar Singh Tanwar who had lost to Danish Ali in 2019, while the BSP has fielded Mujahid Ali.
Slamming the SP and Congress leaderships for rejecting the invitation for the pran pratishthha of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya in January, PM Modi said, “These people are abusing Ram Mandir and Sanatana faith every day. Recently, on Ram Navami, a grand Surya Tilak of Lord Ram Lalla has been done. Today, when the whole country is filled with the devotion of Lord Ram, the people of Samajwadi Party publicly call the devotees of Lord Ram hypocrites." This was a veiled attack on senior SP leader and Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav who had recently said that he did not believe in showing off his devotion for Lord Ram unlike others who indulge in Puja and other rituals like ‘pakhandi.’
The Opposition had skipped the event, claiming the BJP hijacked it.
During his address, PM Modi said Amroha was not only famous for its ‘dholak’ while praising the performance of Mohammed Shami during the ICC World Cup last year. He also noted that the government of India had conferred Shami with the Arjuna award in recognition of his achievements.
The PM also accused the previous state dispensations of betraying people from the underprivileged classes. "Earlier governments kept cheating SCs, STs and OBCs in the name of social justice. The dreams of Jyotibha Phule, Dr BR Ambedkar and Chaudhury Charan Singh are being realised by Modi," he said.
The PM hit out at former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for mocking his visit to the Arabian Sea off Dwarka.
Claiming that 'Congress Shehzada' mocked his puja at the holy site for vote bank politics, Modi said Lord Krishna went to Gujarat from here (UP). "I was born there and now I am in UP, Kashi elected me its MP. When I went to Dwarka to offer prayers to Lord Krishna, Congress Shehzada said there was nothing as such to offer prayers," added the PM.
He continued his tirade by saying that the Congress leader insulted the age-old tradition and faith just for his vote bank politics.
"He said nothing lies under the sea. I want to ask those who claim themselves to be 'Yaduvanshis' in Bihar, if you are a true Yaduvanshi then how can you sit with a party which is insulting it," said the PM.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had taken potshots at the PM for performing underwater puja in the submerged city of Dwarka in February this year. He had said that instead, the PM should discuss issues like inflation and unemployment.
In Amroha, the PM also slammed the previous governments in UP for ignoring the issues of farmers.
"This area is also known for its diligent farmers. During Congress, SP and BSP rule, the problems of farmers of this area were neither heard, nor seen nor taken care of. But the BJP government is working day in and day out to reduce the woes of famers," said the PM.