Goa:
Addressing a rally in Goa, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today slammed the Congress by calling it shameless about corruption.
Following are the highlights of Mr Modi's speech:(Begins speech in Konkani. Loud cheers from the crowd)
- I congratulate all of you for electing Manohar Parrikar and his government
- In India, TV media doesn't focus on Goa unless there is a mishap
- I came to know that there was a Rs 5 entry-fee for this rally. I congratulate the chief minister who decided to contribute the entire amount collected for the families of those who died in the building collapse
- This is an example of empathy towards people
- It is the character of the BJP. We have been taught to be with the people - through thick and thin...
- Janata ke dukh mein dukhi aur such mein sukhi
- If there wasn't an organisation like the BJP or its leadership, a child who sold tea on trains would not have been standing in front of you
- This is the strength of this party. Look at Shivrajji or Raman Singh or the former Himachal chief minister Dhumal ji - common people who live ordinary lives
- Congress mukt bharat is not a BJP slogan, this is what the people of this country want
- People of this country have decided to rid the country of the Congress
- And I am not referring to the party. I am also talking of the Congress culture which ails India
- The Congress is shameless about corruption
- If this is their attitude, what will happen to India?
- Would you like to live the life that you're parents are living? Who are these people who have created these difficult times? The Congress. So should they not be punished for their actions? Should you vote for them? (crowd roars No)
- Congress has wasted the 50 years after independence. Rajiv Gandhi always spoke of making India ready for the 21st century but look what has happened
- India has never seen days worse than those in the past 10 years
- All institutions have been systematically destroyed
- We will see to it that the prestige of the constitutional authorities and offices are restored
- Now it is a question of a few more months
- We will protect the environment and also bring transparency in mining projects. We will use mining as an engine of development
- I had heard of income tax and sales tax. For the first time I heard of 'Jayanthi' tax. People say till this was paid, files didn't move in the environment ministry
- BJP is for strengthening the federal structure of India
- Dilli ki sarkaar khud toh kuch nahin karti aur jo karte hain un par bhi bediyan laga detin hain (The Delhi government does not do anything on its own, and those who try to, the Delhi government shuts them down)
- Shouldn't arrest people because they are from a particular community - but this principle should be evenly applied
- There should be no vote-bank politics
- People are questioning the relevance of the BJP today. I want to tell them that this is Vajpayee's party - and even after becoming the PM - he doesn't have his own house
- So should false charges be levelled at us? Even if we are in power... We have worked tirelessly for the people
- A delegation came and met me today. They wanted special status for Goa's nature, culture - not money
- This is a new way of thinking
- This government has taken the country back by 50 years. And this government is not just the only one to blame
- All those who protect the government are equally responsible for India's plight
- Imagine what would have happened if Manohar Parrikar was in Delhi
- People would have come to know how such an educated and powerful leader can be easy-going
- But what to do, the media sees only what goes on in Delhi
- I have never been able to win on a TV screen or a newspaper, but I have never lost in the hearts of the people
- Desh ko TV screen par face chahiye yea dharti pe vision chahiye
- The BJP is committed to changing the future of India. Goa is a state where there is a common civil code
- BJP espouses amity and the efforts to divide the country in the name of secularism will not succeed
- We have only one religion - India First and our only holy book is the Constitution
- We used to vote for a person or party. In 2014, vote for India
- We must vote for the future of India... Vote for India - this is the mantra we have to take to every village, every household
Highlights of Mr Parrikar's speech:
- This is a historic occasion
- Out of 10 lakh voters in Goa, over two lakh people are present here to hear Narendra Modi
- Whatever happens in Goa is a signal of change in the whole country
- Goa has the cheapest petrol in the country - 92% of people in Goa have two-wheelers and this is a direct subsidy to them
- Whenever Goa has given BJP two seats, BJP has formed the Government at the Centre
- We have fulfilled all our electoral promises in Goa in 22 months
- We have lost 25% revenue from mining - which was halted by the Centre
- But we have recovered that revenue - that is an achievement
- I say this because nothing changes in India, the country is at a standstill. The PM doesn't move
Highlights of Rajnath Singh's address: - When I was coming from the airport, I was driving past the sea which is full of water. But here I see a sea of people before me
- I greet the people of Goa for coming here today
- We are celebrating the 150th anniversary of Swami Vivekanand
- India's first global youth was Swami Vivekanand
- Goa is a popular spot not just in India but the world over as a tourist destination
- But people don't know about the history of Goa
- On June 9 we chose Narendra Modi as the election campaign committee chairman in Goa
- And three months later he was anointed the BJP's prime ministerial candidate
- We need a strong leader who is capable of taking decisions
- Due to the policies of the Congress government, Jammu and Kashmir hasn't been integrated in the national mainstream
- The Congress has ruled for 55 years and they are to blame for the poverty in India
- PM and Sonia Gandhi responsible for all that is wrong in the past 10 years
- Why is inflation on the rise, Dr Manmohan Singh? If anyone was able to control inflation, it was Atal Bihari Vajpayee
- Under the Vajpayee-regime, India was a current account surplus country and there wasn't a deficit
- I congratulate your chief minister who has decided not to let the price rise impact the population
- Goa has the cheapest petrol in India
- India needs a leader with vision, courage and conviction and that leader is Narendra Modi
- Elections are around the corner
- The Congress wants to blame the PM for all its faults
- When the PM needs to speak, he is silent (maun vrat)
- At a recent press conference, he spoke and said if Modi become PM, India will be destroyed
- I want to ask the PM, this is the same Modi who has been chosen chief minister by the people of Gujarat three times in a row