Lok Sabha elections: PM Modi takes on Congress as he holds a series of rallies in Maharashtra, Karnataka

New Delhi [India], April 20 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a series of rallies in Maharashtra and Karnataka on Saturday and targeted the Congress party a day after the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
Warning the public not to repose faith in the opposition coalition, the INDIA bloc, while addressing a Vijay Sankalp meeting in Maharashtra's Parbhani, PM Modi said that the Congress is such a vine that has neither roots nor it has land and it dries up the one who supports it.
He said that the Congress did not allow Maharashtra to develop and was responsible for the problems in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Beware of the Congress and the INDI Alliance! Congress is such a vine that has neither roots nor land, it dries up the one who supports it. Congress was responsible for partition. The Congress was responsible for the Kashmir issue. Congress did not allow the implementation of the Constitution in Kashmir on the pretext of Article 370! Congress snatched away the rights of Dalits. Congress never allowed Maharashtra and Marathwada to develop," he said.
During his address at Maharashtra's Nanded, the Prime Minister took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that the way "Congress' Shehzada ran away from Amethi" after 2019 in a similar manner, he will have to run away from Wayanad after the Lok Sabha polls this year.
"The crisis is visible for Congress' Shehzada in Wayanad. Shehzada and his gang are waiting for April 26, when voting in Wayanad will be concluded. After the voting concludes in Wayanad, they will again announce a safe seat for him as their alliance partners are hurling abuse at each other. The way he ran away from Amethi, he will again run away from Wayanad," he said.
He further claimed that people have completely rejected the INDIA bloc in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections.
"People have seen how the corrupt leaders of the INDI Alliance have come together to serve their own families' interests. Therefore, the news is that in the first phase itself, the voters completely rejected the INDI Alliance," the PM said.
"Whatever claims these people make, the truth is that Congress leaders have already accepted defeat even before the announcement of elections. This is the very reason that a few of their leaders, who used to contest and win Lok Sabha seats, have this time entered through the Rajya Sabha route," he added.
The Prime Minister said that Congress is taking revenge on Sikhs by opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act.
"It is our government alone that has brought CAA for the victims of partition. Had there been no CAA, our Sikh brothers and sisters would have been badly suffering. But it's strange that Congress is opposing this. It seems that they are still taking revenge on Sikhs over 1984," he said.
While addressing a public rally in Karnataka's Chikkaballapur, PM Modi claimed that the opposition alliance has no leader or vision for the future, and their history is ridden with scams.
"The INDI alliance even does not have a leader at present, nor do they have any vision for future and their history is one of scams, which is why people in Chikkaballapur and Kolar are saying, Abki baar Modi Sarkar," the Prime Minister said.
He said that "big and powerful people" in the country and abroad have united to "remove" him from office but he has "suraksha kavach of matri shakti," and he is moving ahead after facing every challenge.
The PM also launched a sharp attack on Congress during his address at a public meeting in Bengaluru and said that Karnataka is the biggest example of how it "deceives" the farmers.
"Karnataka is the biggest example of how Congress deceives the farmers. We started the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme for small and marginal farmers. When Karnataka had the BJP government, the farmers of the state received Rs 10000 each, Rs 6,000 from the central government and Rs 4000 from Karnataka's BJP government. But as soon as Congress formed government in the state, it stopped giving Rs 4000 to the farmers," the PM said.
He said people should be "very alert from Congress," as "thoughts and ideologies being promoted by it are "dangerous.".
"Modi says he will make the country a green energy hub, pharma hub, electronics hub, electrical vehicle hub, semiconductor hub, and a global innovation hub so that India becomes a hub of the global economy. But the people of Congress and the INDI alliance say they will remove Modi," he said.
PM Modi accused the grand old party of being "anti-investment, anti-entrepreneurship, anti-private sector, anti-taxpayer, anti-wealth creator."
"It is Modi's guarantee that after 5G, we will now launch 6G, they say they will remove Modi. It is Modi's guarantee that we will bring AI, but they say they will remove Modi. it is Modi's guarantee that after Chandrayaan, we will now make India proud of Gaganyaan. They say they will remove Modi. Congress is anti-youth because it is anti-investment, it is anti-entrepreneurship, it is anti-private sector, it is anti-taxpayer, and it is anti-wealth creator," he said.
"The kind of thoughts and ideology being promoted by the Congress government in Karnataka are very dangerous. Our daughters are being attacked, bombs are exploding in markets, and people are being attacked for listening to religious songs. I urge my brothers and sisters to stay very alert to the Congress," he added.
The Prime Minister said the party has turned "tech city into a tanker city," and the budget is being cut from agriculture to urban infrastructure.
"Congress has turned a tech city into a tanker city. The budget is being cut from agriculture to urban infrastructure. Congress is only focused on corruption and not on the problems of Bengaluru. Only the projects of the central government are moving ahead fast," he said, adding that the metro network has also expanded.
PM Modi said the issue of the "Congress and INDI alliance is Modi, Modi's family, and wrongly accusing Modi."
"But Modi's focus is on the development of 21st-century India, to ensure good facilities and wealth for the people of India, and India's global image," he said.
PM Modi is seeking his third consecutive term, while the opposition bloc (INDIA), a coalition of opposition parties formed to take on the BJP in the general elections, is eyeing ousting him from power.
The results of the seven-phase polls will be announced on June 4. The second phase will be held on April 26 and the remaining phases will be May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1 accordingly. The last general elections in 2019 were also held in seven phases.