BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Taking a jibe at
Rahul Gandhi for his visits to houses of the poor, BJP's prime ministerial candidate
Narendra Modi today said poverty is like tourism for the Congress Vice President.
"Shehzade (Rahul), for you poverty is like tourism. The way people visit Taj Mahal and take photographs, similarly he visits houses of the poor with TV cameras to show it off," Mr Modi said during a rally in Dhamtari that falls under Mahasamund parliamentary constituency of Chhattisgarh ahead of the second phase of Lok Sabha polls in the state. (
Full coverage: India Votes 2014)
"Congress does not care about the problems faced by the common man. Shehzada had once said in his speech that he relishes speaking about poverty. He thinks poverty is a state of mind. Is this a matter of entertainment?" Mr Modi asked.
Targetting Mr Gandhi and referring to his own humble tea-seller origins, Mr Modi said, "One who is born with a golden spoon hardly knows what poverty is."
Slamming the UPA over the issue of inflation, Mr Modi said although Congress had promised to combat price rise within 100 days, it had not been able to deal with the issue. "Madam Sonia and Shehzada are asking across the country my account of work, instead of answering to people about their own work. They never answered why price rise has not been controlled despite their promises in 2009," he asked. (
BJP's 'communal agenda' grave threat to country's unity: Sonia Gandhi)
He alleged there was no democracy in Congress. "They don't believe in democratic tradition. They believe in dynastic trend and live with it. They believe that people could be carried in their pockets," he said.
Urging people to vote Congress out, Mr Modi said, "A deaf, dumb and lame government is not needed at the Centre. People should bring in a strong government."
Noting that the creation of three new states under the NDA regime had been a smooth affair, Mr Modi said the turmoil over the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh shows how the ruling Congress at the Centre indulges in "divide and rule" politics.
"There was no strife when the BJP bifurcated Uttarakhand from Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh from Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand from Bihar. But when Congress divided Andhra Pradesh, both Telangana and Seemandhra are still disturbed.
Hence, it is evident that Congress indulges in the politics of divide and rule. It is a party which divides the society and cuts it into pieces," he alleged.
Talking about the Lok Sabha polls, Mr Modi said Congress would fail to win even a single seat in many states. "On Thursday, the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls concluded, in which around 100 seats went to polls. As per my information, in this phase, Congress is not opening its account anywhere.
"This will be the first election in the country in which Congress will fail to open account in some states and it will also fail to score a double digit mark in any of the state. In the country, they will not be able to touch the three digit mark," he said.
BJP has fielded its sitting MP Chandulal Sahu from Mahasamund Lok Sabha seat, while Congress has given ticket to veteran Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi for the seat.
The constituency will go to polls on April 17 along with two other seats of the state - Rajnandgaon and Kanker.
Taking potshots at Mr Jogi, Mr Modi said, "Ajit Jogi must be knowing some secret about the Gandhi family, because even after losing every time and that the party is divided into pieces (in the state), madam Sonia thinks about him. He told he wanted to retire and get into the religious discourse, but they asked him to come. It seems he knows some secret of this family which is haunting them," Mr Modi claimed.
"But every secret will be cleared after the BJP forms the next government at the Centre after May 16," Mr Modi said. On the issue of minimum support price to farmers' produce, Mr Modi said the party in its manifesto has promised that the parameters for MSP to farmers would be changed.
"MSP would be decided after adding 50 per cent profit to input costs," he said.