"I have had many opportunities to address rallies in my public life, but what the BJP has achieved here today, no one else can," Narendra Modi said.
Narendra Modi today shared the stage with LK Advani at a massive rally in Bhopal, for the first time since the BJP named the Gujarat Chief Minister its prime ministerial candidate overriding the objection of its senior-most leader.
Mr Advani and party president Rajnath Singh, who was the rally, addressed the gathering, as did other leaders like Uma Bharti, Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu.
Here are the highlights on some of the speeches made at the rally today:
Narendra Modi, BJP's prime ministerial candidate:
- Due to the efforts of my brother Shivraj Chouhan, Madhya Pradesh is making progress in all directions
- I have had many opportunities to address rallies in my public life, but what the BJP has achieved here today no one else can.
- I congratulate the Chief Minister, his entire team and the grassroots workers of the BJP
- You have shown the country a new way, there could have been no better tribute to Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay
- I have not had the good fortune of meeting Deen Dayal ji but I have worked with Khushabhau and looking at him I could make out how Deen Dayal ji worked for the organisation.
- 2015-16 is the 100th birth anniversary of Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay. We should dream of celebrating his birth anniversary year by being in charge of the India's parliament, having govt's in most states across India.
- I don't have the slightest doubt that the BJP will win in Madhya Pradesh
- I have worked for the organisation here and I have been to each constituency
- I have known Shivrajji for many years now , we have toured villages in the state together
- I heard him speak at a rally for the first time almost 20 years ago - he helped us and millions of workers understand Pt Deen Dayal JI\
- What he said 20-25 years ago, he translated each word into reality after he formed the govt
- Earlier, Congress never mentioned 'inclusive growth'. These days they don't stop talking about it.
- Congress has adopted this because of BJP. BJP's emphasis on inclusive growth
- Poor, illiterate, male, female, old, young - BJP worked for all. Delhi today has had to accept 'inclusive growth'. The credit goes to Shivraj.
- For the past 7-8 years, the states that has implemented the pro-poor schemes the best have been either BJP governments or those of our NDA partners
- Congress wasted away the Patwa government's efforts and Madhya Pradesh became a 'bimaru' state
- The Congress is hungry for the past 10 years - we all know what it'll do to Madhya Pradesh The trouble is that the government in Delhi doesn't let Shivraj Chouhan function in peace- his schemes are shot down in Delhi
- What the Congress could not do in 50 years, Shivraj Chouhan has done thrice as much in 10 years
- This state had less than 3000 MW of electricity, it now has 10,000 MW
- In Delhi, they'll give money to Kerala where there is a Congress govt but not to Madhya Pradesh where Shivrajji is the chief minister. I want to ask them, why do you discriminate - the poor here are also Indian citizens
- The Congress will not fight the next elections, the CBI will
- The Congress doesn't have the capacity to deal will the BJP and have fielded the CBI
- Remember the excess of the emergency, if the Congress tries to intimidate by the CBI, the people will not spare them
- If we start writing at Bhopal, the figure will stretch upto Janpath in Delhi- such is the quantum of the Congress' corruption
- All the surveys that are there praise the BJP and its leaders - Shivraj Chouhan, Raman Singh, Vasundhra Raje
- People say across India there is a BJP wave - we are also happy to hear this
- Mahatma Gandhi wanted to end the Congress organisation but people within the party did not allow it
- A Congress-free India will help fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's dream - and that task we have to do
- We must make each polling booth Congress-free
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh:
- We have the best workers, this is the BJP
- I have full confidence that we will score a hat-trick in Madhya Pradesh
- Want to assure the central leadership and Narendra Modi that we will not let the Congress government come to power at the Centre
- Congress gets disturbed by our progress - their leaders say if Shivraj comes to power you'll grow old but will not see power
- Want to ask CBI and IT people - why don't you conduct raids at Robert Vadra's?
- I want to ask the Congress - when you were in power here, where had the roads gone?
Rajnath Singh, BJP president:
- The BJP's success in the elections depends on the work of its workers
- From Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singhji can become the Chief Minister, and Narendra Modi can become the Prime Minister.
- I salute the resolve of all the BJP workers.
- Deen Dayal Upadhyay was the Vikramaditya of Indian politics - he used to say the rulers should be the people's servant (Ref to visionary Raja Bhoj)
- Shivraj Chauhan has not only fulfilled his role as an administrator but also as people's servant
- In Madhya Pradesh, you have seen many Congress governments and you know who can provide able administration
- Since the time UPA has been in power at the centre, we have seen the leadership they've provided
- Who can deny that inflation, corruption is on the rise - new records have been set.
- BJP is the only party that can give India good governance
LK Advani, senior BJP leader:- I don't think that there has ever been such a huge gathering of party workers ever in India or anywhere else. This is really like a Maha-Kumbh
- Over 53000 polling booth represented here - workers will be able to campaign better
- Our PM candidate for the coming elections Narendra Modi is here
- We have worked well in the Opposition even in Jan Sangh days. We progressed and went on to form the govt with Morarji Desai in 1977
- We formed a govt in a few states, even in Madhya Pradesh
- And we progressed further - we formed a govt in the centre and the NDA also formed govts in many states
- Coming Lok Sabha elections; no other party can compare to the work we do. These public achievements will lead us to victory in the coming elections
- I was in Chhattisgarh. I had praised the power situation there and also in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh where there is electricity round the clock in villages.