PM Narendra Modi targetted Congress, the Gandhis at a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur.
Highlights
- At a rally in UP, PM hit out at Congress for opposing currency ban
- PM asked the crowd to support him in his war against black money
- Opposition parties say the government's move is "anti-poor"
Prime Minister Narendra Modi followed up Sunday's emotional Goa speech with an
aggressive attack today on the Congress for its critcism of his government's ban on 500 and 1000 rupee notes, saying the decision had left the corrupt sleepless, while "the poor are sleeping peacefully."
"Pandit Nehru, your family and party abuse me, but I am here on November 14, your birthday, to complete work left undone from your time," the Prime Minister said invoking Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first Prime Minister.
He was speaking at a rally in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, and repeatedly asked the crowd to support the notes ban and bless him in his war against black money by raising their hands and applauding hard. They did each time he asked, and that, the PM said, was the endorsement of the poor he needed to carry on.
"I will never let anyone loot the money that belongs to the poor of India... Yes, those against me are strong people. But, I will not be scared of them. I will not leave the path of truth and integrity," he vowed.
The Congress, the Prime Minister said, in multiple references to the Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the 1970s, had "turned the entire country into a jail for 19 months only to stay in power. I have asked for 50 days to fight corruption".
The Congress and other opposition parties have accused the Prime Minister of introducing an anti-poor scheme by abolishing 500 and 1000-rupee notes in a sudden move last week.
The currency crunch that has followed has left people standing for hours in queues at banks to draw money, which is being rationed till there are enough replacement notes.
PM Modi said he was "pained by the inconvenience caused and that is why I am working tirelessly to help people overcome this."
The inconvenience, he promised, would last but a few days. But the benefits would be long term. "After demonetization, the poor are enjoying a sound sleep while rich are running from pillar to post to buy sleeping pills," PM Modi said.
He drew loud cheers when he said, "Yes, my decisions are kadak (hard). When I was young the poor always asked me to make kadak chai (strong tea). The rich don't like it."