NEW DELHI: Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday likened the upcoming Lok Sabha polls to the Mahabharata war, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the BJP-led camp working for the country's development while "INDI alliance" under the Congress is full of family-run parties and corruption.
In his address at the BJP's national convention here, Shah lashed out at the opposition INDIA bloc for its promotion of dynastic and appeasement politics.
"Just as in the Mahabharata war there were two camps, Kauravas and Pandavas, similarly today there are two camps ahead of the elections," Shah said.
One of the camps is the BJP-led NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and the other is "INDI Alliance" led by the Congress, he said.
"INDI alliance is an alliance of all dynastic parties, which nurture the politics of dynasticism, corruption, appeasement, while the BJP-led NDA is an alliance of parties which follows the principles of nation," he said.
People of the country will have to decide which of the two camps they want to give mandate to this time, he added.
He was speaking on the resolution "BJP: Desh ki aasha, vipaksha ki hatasha" (BJP: Country's hope, opposition's despair).
The opposition, he said, is full of "2G, 3G and 4G" parties, a reference to the second, third and fourth generation of families running these parties.
"Congress which leads INDI alliance ended the spirit of democracy with corruption, dynasticism and appeasement so that people's mandate do not come independently," Shah said.
Prime Minister Modi brought the politics of development at the centre stage by ending the Opposition parties' politics of dynasticism, corruption, appeasement and caste, he said.
The prime minister has worked for the development of all sections of society and enhanced the country's global standing, Shah said, while asserting that there is no doubt in people's mind that the prime minister will retain power for a third term.
Shah described Modi as a candle which removes darkness while burning itself, as he lauded his dedication, hardwork and commitment to the country's progress.
While PM Modi thinks of the poor and the country's development, INDIA bloc leaders think of making their children prime minister and chief ministers, Shah said, referring to Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad and M K Stalin among others.
"The Congress is the mother of corruption and its nurturer in this country," he said as he listed the alleged scams during the Congress regime and that of its allies.
All the family "princes" have come together against Modi as they think only someone from a powerful family can occupy the top position, he said amid slogans in support of Modi at the meeting.
"On the one hand there are family-run parties and on the other is the son of a poor mother," he said.
The government has worked to lift the living standards of 60 crore poor who earlier felt left out of the development process, he said.
Opposition parties, he said, are in denial mode and oppose everything for the sake of it, be it the repeal of Article 370, ban on triple talaq, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or the construction of the new Parliament building.
He also lashed out at the Congress for turning down the invite for the Ram temple consecration ceremony, saying they did so due to appeasement politics.
If family-run politics existed in the BJP, then son of a tea seller would not have become the country's prime minister, he asserted.