Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar says country's stature has increased under PM Modi.
Haryana Chief Minister and BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar today said the Narendra Modi-led government has lifted India's stature across the world as the country always comes first for it, but the Congress cannot think beyond the Nehru-Gandhi family.
"When we say what should be given priority, we say country always comes first. On the other hand, Congress treats their leaders first, We say Bharat Mata Ki Jai, some in Congress say Sonia Mata Ki Jai," Mr Khattar said at a poll rally in Naraingarh in Ambala district.
"A video has also gone viral over the internet in which the Congress nominee from Gurgaon assembly segment can be heard saying Gurgaon will not say 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' anymore and people will only say Sonia Mata Ki Jai," he said.
He said the Congress cannot now say the video is fake because "it will annoy Sonia Gandhi". "And if they say the video is authentic, the public will get angry."
"Congress president (Rahul Gandhi) said he resigned (after the LS poll debacle) and asked that a new chief be made from outside the Gandhi family. They took a couple of months, but still they could not find anyone suitable outside this family and again made Sonia Gandhi their chief," Mr Khattar said.
But under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, the country's stature has increased and a glimpse of it was seen during the "Howdy Modi!" event in Houston in the United States.
"Even big countries consult Modi ji... seek his advice on policies and schemes," he said.
"He is one of top world leaders now. Donald Trump had not given so much respect to anyone as much as he gave to Modi ji," he said, referring to the US president attending the Houston event.
The chief minister also referred to the apparent infighting in the state Congress unit. "In Haryana, you saw how Congress people jostled amongst themselves for positions. Their former state unit chief, whom they replaced days before assembly elections, has levelled charges that tickets were sold," he said.
On Saturday, former Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar resigned from the party, alleging it was going through "existential crisis" "because of serious internal contradictions".
He said he had been miffed with the Congress ever since he was replaced as state Congress chief by Kumari Selja last month. Earlier this week, he and his his supporters protested outside Sonia Gandhi's residence in Delhi, alleging corruption in distribution of tickets for the October 21 Haryana assembly polls.
Mr Khattar said such developments "may be part of the Congress culture", but the BJP has always dealt promptly whenever any complaint of any such nature has come to its notice.
"A fake letter addressed to me by Union Home Minister Amit Shah was received recently. The sender wanted me to recommend names for a particular seat to the party high command. When I met Amit Shah, I showed him the letter and he was surprised to know it was fake. Later, two people were arrested," he said.
Hitting out at the opposition for making unemployment in Haryana a major poll issue, Mr Khattar alleged that those who were active in corrupt practices, "all of them have become unemployed now".
"Those who are saying unemployment has increased in Haryana, it is they who have become unemployed. Nobody is unemployed... During our time (in power), you cannot find anyone asking for money on the pretext that he will get a work done using his connections in corridors of power because we have put a full stop to such corrupt practices," he said.
Mr Khattar said like the Central government, BJP dispensation in Haryana too has provided "clean" and "transparent" administration and given over 72,000 government jobs on merit.
He said the BJP has set a target of winning 75 plus seats in the 90-member Assembly, which goes to polls on October 21.