Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally of National Cadet Corps in Delhi today.
Highlights
- PM Modi said former chief ministers ''are in jail for their corruption''
- Seen as an apparent reference to Lalu Yadav's conviction in fodder scam
- Mr Yadav blamed his conviction on "political vendetta'' by the BJP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose party swept to power in 2014 on an anti-corruption plank, today said the fight against corruption and black money is on and today, the "rich and the powerful" are being brought to book. Then, in what's seen as a reference to former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Yadav, the Prime Minister added, "People who served as Chief Ministers are in jail for their corruption".
No one guilty of corruption will be "spared," he told the young men and women of the National Cadet Corps.
Lalu Yadav is one of the key politicians of the opposition who had been sharp in his attacks on PM Modi. He has blamed his conviction in the fodder scam cases on the "political vendetta" by the BJP and its ally Nitish Kumar. Mr Yadav's party was shunted out of power last year after Nitish Kumar dumped the Grand Alliance with him and the Congress and entered a partnership with the BJP.
Over the last month, the former Bihar Chief Minister has received two consecutive jail sentences over the fraudulent withdrawal of more than Rs. 970 crore of public funds during Lalu Yadav's term as the Chief Minister, which came to be known as fodder scam.
Last week, he received a five-year jail term in the third fodder scam case. He is already serving a three-and-half-year jail term in the second fodder scam case. Verdicts in two more cases against him are expected over the next few months.
Another leader from Bihar - three-time Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra - also received a 5-year jail sentence along with Lalu Yadav last week. The BJP, which repeatedly accused him of corruption, had hailed the verdict.
The Prime Minister also asked the cadets to take a step towards transparency by conducting digital transactions through the BHIM app. In his appeal, he said, "My young friends, I am here to ask for something. No, I am not here for seeking votes or politics". Asking the cadets to get others too on BHIM app, he said, "This is a step towards transparency and accountability".
Young voters, who will vote for a Lok Sabha election for the first time in 2019 is a huge segment, pegged at 2 crore, whom the BJP is targeting. The BJP has formed a special group to discuss the means of taking its message to the young voters.