Modi Ayodhya rally: Chants of Jai Shri Ram reverberated inside the huge tent put up in Ambedkar Nagar near Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed an election rally on Wednesday. Though PM Modi skipped a visit to the disputed Ram temple site, his message from less than 30 km away was loud and clear. National security may have taken the centrestage in BJP’s poll campaign, the issue of Ram temple remains an integral part of the saffron party’s scheme of things.

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Underlining that terror was the biggest threat to tourism and religious belief, PM Modi recalled the 2005 attack in Ayodhya and accused SP, BSP and Congress of turning a blind eye towards terrorism.

Top 10 points

1) Addressing the rally, PM Modi came downhard on Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party for using the names of great leaders like Baba Bhimrao Ambedkar and Ram Manohar Lohia for their political gains.

2) PM Modi said the Samajwadi Party had trampled the principles of the great socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.

3) People talk about socialism, equality…I want to ask them what have you done for poor workers of the country? PM Modi asked.

4) He also slammed the Congress for doing nothing for the poor in decades. “The Congress gave the slogan of ‘gareebi hatao’ in every election in the last 60-70 years. What have they done to eradicate poverty in all these years?” he said.

5) For the first time, a government has actually taken a step to address the needs of workers. We worked to make their life better through schemes likes PM Shram Yogi Mandhan Yojana. This scheme promises workers, labourers a pension of Rs 3000 after the age of 60.

6) Ayushman Bharat scheme is also transforming the healthcare for poor. Under the scheme, our poor brothers and sisters will get free medical treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh, PM Modi said.

7) Terrorism in the biggest threat to tourism. We witnessed what happened in Sri Lanka recently. How can we forget the blasts which shook Ayodhya and Faizabad, PM Modi said.

8) Exporting terror is the biggest industry of our neighbouring country. This New India now knows how to hit back going inside enemy lines, PM Modi pointed out referring to recent actions by armed forces against terror.

9) PM Modi alleged that parties like SP, BSP have a history of turning a blind eye towards the issue of terrorism and this Mahamilawati alliance is once again out there to form a weak government.

10) Modi had last visited Ayodhya to address an election rally as NDA’s prime ministerial candidate in 2014. He has since then avoided visiting the temple town.