"INDI alliance wants to make India powerless": PM Modi criticises CPI (M) manifesto calling for eliminating nuclear weapons

Barmer (Rajasthan) [India], April 12 : Hitting out at the INDIA bloc over the CPI (M) manifesto's declaration of eliminating nuclear weapons in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that at a time when two of India's neighbours are armed with nuclear weapons, the Opposition wants to make India 'powerless'.
Notably, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) -- which is part of the INDIA bloc -- in its manifesto has promised "complete elimination of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction including chemical and biological weapons."
Addressing a public meeting in Barmer, PM Modi said, "In the Congress manifesto, there is the stamp of Muslim League, which was the culprit of partition. Now another party, which is a part of the INDI alliance, has made a dangerous declaration against the country in its manifesto. They have said they will destroy India's nuclear weapons. When two of our neighbours are armed with nuclear weapons, should our nuclear weapons be destroyed?"
"I want to ask Congress, on whose orders are its alliance partners working? What kind of an alliance is this which wants to make India powerless? On one hand, Modi is working to make India a strong nation, while on the other hand, the INDI alliance has declared making India a weak country," he said.
Further hitting out at the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the grand old party failed to bring permanent solutions to any of the country's issues and kept the people of Rajasthan grappling for water despite being in power for over five decades.
"Congress ruled this country for over 5-6 decades, but still couldn't give a permanent solution to any of the country's problems. Who can understand this better than Rajasthan? The state of Rajasthan which gave blood for the country, was left struggling for water. My mothers and sisters used to travel miles in scorching heat to fill their pots of water," the Prime Minister said.
"No one listened to them for 70 years. When you all gave your son Modi the opportunity to serve you all, I started the 'Jal Jeevan Mission' and took responsibility for ending this crisis. Through this scheme, we have taken water to 50 lakh households in Rajasthan. But, even when Congress was in power here, they did rampant corruption in the scheme," he further added.
The Prime Minister accused Congress of blocking the ERCP project in the state while adding that the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led government has passed the project within its first 100 days.
He further attacked the Congress party for destroying the Constitution by imposing Emergency and said that the celebration of Constitution Day was started by his government.
"The same Congress, which made Baba Saheb lose the elections while he was alive, did not allow him to get Bharat Ratna, they tried to destroy the Constitution by imposing an Emergency in the country. Today the party is taking the cover of lies in the name of the Constitution to abuse Modi," the Prime Minister said.
"It is Modi who started celebrating Constitution Day for the first time in the country. Congress actually opposed celebrating the day, their speech in the Parliament is available. It was Modi who developed the five pilgrimage sites associated with Baba Saheb," he added.
PM Modi further affirmed that the government considers the Constitution as 'sacred' and no one can ever destroy it.
"The people are talking about 400 seats because the Congress has not let me work in the last 10 years. That's why the people now want to punish them (Congress) and completely finish them," PM Modi said.
"And as far as Constitution is concerned...keep my words in writing. Even if Baba Saheb himself comes back, the Constitution can't be finished. The Constitution is Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Quran and Bible for our government," he added.
BJP has fielded union minister Kailash Choudhary from Barmer against Congress' Umaidaram Beniwal.
In Dausa, a constituency reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, the BJP has fielded Kanhaiya Lal Meena against Congress' Murari Lal Meena. BJP's Jaskaur Meena won the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Dausa.
Rajasthan has 25 Lok Sabha seats. The polling will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26. The BJP had won all 25 seats in the state in 2014. In 2019, the BJP-led alliance won all 25 seats, with the BJP winning 24.