Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lambasted the Congress over slogans raised by some of its leaders at a protest at the Delhi Airport over the arrest of party spokesperson Pawan Khera. Addressing a rally in poll-bound Meghalaya, PM Modi referred to the Congress as a bunch of despondents rejected by the people of the country and said that the people of the country will give them a befitting reply in the coming elections.
“People rejected by the country, whom the nation is unwilling to accept, and have sunk to the depths of disappointment are chanting a new mantra these days. They say “Modi teri kabar khudegi”. But the entire country is saying “Modi tera kamal khilega”. The people of the country will give a ‘karara jawaab’ to people with such distorted mentality and who speak such language,” the PM said, addressing a poll rally in Meghalaya’s Shillong.
The Prime Minister’s jab comes a day after Pawan Khera was arrested a released on interim bail in connection with an FIR filed by Assam Police over the Congress spokesperson’s remarks at a press conference where he mixed up the middle name of the Prime Minister.
Protesting against the move to deplane and arrest Khera, some Congress leaders sat on the tarmac and began raising slogans against the BJP government and the Prime Minister. It was here that the said slogan was allegedly raised.
On a whirlwind tour of Nagaland and Meghalaya where elections are due next week, the Prime Minister also took on the Congress over its neglect for Northeastern states and sought to highlight the development credentials of his government. He also accused the Congress of using states of the Northeast “like an ATM”.
“In Delhi, Congress leaders never looked towards Nagaland. The party never gave importance to stability and prosperity in the state. Congress always ran the Nagaland government on remote control from Delhi. From Delhi to Dimapur, Congress indulged in familial politics,” the Prime Minister said, addressing a joint public rally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in Nagaland.
The BJP, Modi said, considers the eight states of the Northeast as ‘Ashta Lakshmi’ and not ‘ATMs’ like the Congress party did. “For us, the 8 Northeast states are Ashta Lakshmi,” he said, and credited its ‘peace, progress, and prosperity’ mantra for Nagaland as the reason why the people’s trust in the BJP was rising.
Addressing the rally in Meghalaya, the Prime Minister lauded the people of the state for nurturing creativity and contributing to the growth of the country.
“When I think of Meghalaya, I think of talented people and vibrant traditions. I am here with a message of hope and development. India is scaling new heights of success and Meghalaya is making a strong contribution to it,” said the PM.
Elections in Meghalaya and Nagaland are due to be held on February 27 while the results will be declared on March 2.