"Congress Is In Reverse Gear, Wants Poverty-Stricken Nation": PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh of wrongful allocation of central aid meant for victims of last year's floods and promised to find out where the money went once he returns to power.

Addressing a poll rally in Mandi, he also said the dissolution of the Himachal Pradesh State Staff Selection Commission by the Congress government in the state was like putting a lock on the future of the youth.

The Congress is "locking (closing)" health and education institutions and stalling the projects started by the previous BJP government in Himachal Pradesh, he alleged.

Canvassing for BJP Mandi Lok Sabha seat candidate Kangana Ranaut, Prime Minister Modi said the Centre had given crores of rupees during the monsoon disaster but the state government did "bandar bant (indiscriminate allocation)" of relief funds and asserted that he will recover the money from those who got it wrongly and give it to the people of Mandi.

PM Modi also called Himachal Pradesh the "sankalp bhumi" for the construction of the Ram mandir in Ayodhya, referring to the pledge taken by the BJP in Palampur to build the temple.

The BJP national executive passed a resolution for construction of the Ram temple during its Palampur meeting in June 1989.

Lakhs of people made sacrifices and "finally the temple was constructed due to the strength of your vote", PM Modi said.

"Had you not voted for a strong government, bold decisions like scrapping of Article 370 could not have been implemented. But the Congress is opposing such decisions," PM Modi said.

The government is bringing the Uniform Civil Code but the Congress is opposing it by supporting the Muslim Personal Law and Sharia, the prime minister claimed.

The Congress is in reverse gear and wants a poverty-stricken and crisis-ridden nation, surrounded by "problems", PM Modi said and added that it wants to bring back the "old situation".

Calling upon the people to reject the Congress for a third time in this Lok Sabha polls, the prime minister said the Congress also talks about bringing back Article 370 and scrapping the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

PM Modi said, "The (previous) Congress government (at the Centre) was so scared that it did not even mention the name of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama. On the other hand, I frequently engage in discussions with the Dalai Lama." "He is a stalwart of our rich heritage. India is the land of Buddha and the Modi government has been actively promoting this heritage," he said.

Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur which have sizeable Buddhist populations fall under the Mandi constituency.

In an apparent reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Congress' Mandi candidate Vikramaditya Singh, PM Modi said that "those living on the legacy of their father and grandfather cannot build the nation and only people who have risen from the ground to heights can bring change".

"Today the future of India is the youth... They are launching startups, daughters are flying drones and fighter jets, and therefore, Kangana represents the aspirations of youngsters and our daughters," he said.

Terming the Congress "anti-women" and accusing it of moving back to the 19th century instead of coping with the developments of the 21st century, he urged the electorate to give a befitting reply to the party for making "derogatory statements" against the actor.

These statements, he said, is an insult to Mandi, Himachal Pradesh and the daughters of the state.

Seeking support of Ranaut, PM Modi said, "Do me a favour, go to all the temples in all villages and seek blessings of all deities for a developed country." "Kangana will become your voice and work for the development of Mandi," he said.

The BJP and the NDA have already won more seats than the required majority in the last five phases of the Lok Sabha elections, he claimed and urged the electorate to add four more seats to their tally.

PM Modi also sought support for the six former Congress MLAs, who rebelled against the party and quit to join the BJP, in the bypolls to six assembly seats.

Elections to four Lok Sabha seats and six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh will be held on June 1 -- the seventh and last phase of the general polls.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)