Buxar/Dehri/Bikram (Bihar): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday vowed to thwart alleged attempts to rob Dalits and backward classes of reservations by the INDIA bloc which he accused of “enslavement” and performing “mujra” for Muslim vote bank.
Addressing back-to-back rallies in Buxar, Karakat and Patliputra Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar, the prime minister also charged the opposition coalition with indulging in “scaremongering”, and claimed that he had been working “without fear” to wipe out terrorism and root out corruption.
“Bihar is the land which has given a new direction to the fight for social justice. I wish to declare on its soil that I will foil the plans of the INDIA bloc to rob SCs, STs and OBCs of their rights and divert these to Muslims. They may remain enslaved and perform ‘mujra’ to please their vote bank,” the PM said.
Modi also alleged that the people of Bihar have been hurt by insulting remarks against migrants of the state from leaders of the Congress in Punjab and Telangana and the DMK and the TMC in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal respectively, and claimed, “These RJD people who keep doing ‘mujra’ with their lantern (poll symbol) do not have the courage to speak a word in protest.”
He also alleged that the opposition alliance was banking on the support of those who were indulging in “vote jihad” and referred to the Calcutta High Court order that struck down the West Bengal government’s decision to include a number of Muslim groups on the list of OBCs.
Modi claimed that the opposition alliance has “decided that if they are voted to power, the first thing they would do is to change the Constitution so that even the court is unable to overrule their attempts to divert reservations to Muslims. I have been challenging them to refute me in writing but they have been reluctant because they have a guilty conscience”.
He spelt out names of several deprived castes, including Yadavs who have been traditionally RJD supporters, which “could end up losing their constitutional rights if the INDIA bloc succeeded in its alleged plans”.
The PM, however, asserted that the opposition coalition was “heading for a defeat” and on June 04 when the results will be out, “RJD and Congress workers will be seen tearing off each other’s clothes. The ‘shahi parivar’ (royal family) of the Congress will put the entire blame of defeat on Mallikarjun Kharge and leave for a vacation abroad”.
“The INDIA bloc is like a balloon that has got deflated today when voting is taking place for the sixth and penultimate phase of the elections,” claimed the PM.
“Modi has been working to stamp out Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, naxal insurgency and corruption without fear. The INDIA bloc has tried to stop me at every step with scaremongering,” he alleged.
Recalling the resolve he displayed in commissioning the surgical strikes and scrapping of Article 370, Modi vowed to continue crackdown on corruption, and indirectly referring to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his family, he remarked “those who have snatched people’s land in return for jobs will be firmly dealt with”.
Referring to Prasad’s son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav, whom he did not mention by name, Modi remarked “the shehzada (crown prince) will spend his time, after June 04, protecting his inheritance (amaanat) and securing bail (zamaanat)”.
Referring to Akhilesh Yadav, who heads the Samajwadi Party, the BJP’s principal rival in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, the PM said, “His own party workers stood laughing when he predicted a defeat for Modi in Varanasi and boasted that the INDIA bloc will win all 80 seats in that state. The bicycle (SP poll symbol) stands punctured. The shehzada of UP seems to have drawn inspiration from the shehzada of Congress (Rahul Gandhi)”.
Modi, known for his ability to connect with the masses, also asked the people to remember that “every vote for every NDA candidate is not just to elect the local MP but the prime minister…when you go back to your homes please tell your neighbours and family members, who may not have come here, that I have sent my greetings (Jai Shri Ram). Also, please visit the nearest temple and offer prayers for a developed India on my behalf”.
Addressing the rallies, Modi said, “You have your Modi, whose actions and intentions you have known for 10 years. On the other hand, you have the motley group called INDIA bloc which is full of people hoping for the prime minister’s post, even if just for a year.
The PM also promised the people that his next five years in power would ensure faster development for Bihar with better electricity supply and more pucca houses even as he slammed the previous Congress-led UPA government for lacking the resolve to provide free foodgrains to the common people.
Addressing the rallies, he also referred to “the ‘PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana’ which seeks to reduce to zero your electricity bill, no matter how much you consume”, in an obvious bid to counter freebies on offer in many states ruled by parties opposed to the BJP.
Mocking at the predictions of many pollsters who have forecast a dip in the NDA’s tally, Modi said, “INDIA bloc has come up with its exit polls even before the elections are over. Soon they might go back to crying hoarse on EVMs.”
