Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit back at the opposition that has launched a concerted attack at him over a host of issues. He said the leaders of the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress were abusing him on a daily basis, but the name-calling was rather a gift. He also threw an open challenge at the opposition, saying it should prove if he had any undeclared assets.
"I challenge them to show if I have any undeclared assets, farmhouses, or shopping complex, or whether my money is stashed in foreign banks. Prove that I have any property in any foreign land, bungalows worth crores, high-end cars worth lakhs and crores of rupees," he said in Uttar Pradesh.
"These 'mahamilavati' people SP, BSP and Congress all are abusing me. Not a single day has passed when they have not abused me. This is their condition after the sixth phase of the election. I consider their abuses as a gift. I will not reply to them, you will reply by voting for BJP," PM Modi added.
The Congress has centered its Lok Sabha election campaign around the Rafale jet deal in which, its chief Rahul Gandhi has alleged, that PM Modi favoured industrialist Anil Ambani. Mr Gandhi has repeated "chowkidar chor hai" (watchman is a thief) in almost all his poll rallies.
Taking cue from the Congress, other opposition parties have also attacked PM Modi over alleged corruption.
"Neither have I ever dreamt of becoming rich nor have I ever looted the poor's money. For me the welfare of poor and protecting motherland is more important than my life," PM Modi said today in his response.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also responded to Mayawati's allegation that he was using his caste to win votes, saying he has never indulged in caste politics despite fighting many elections in Gujarat.
"The mahamilavati people are asking what is Modi's caste. I have been the Gujarat Chief Minister for longer than bua-babua have been Chief Ministers. I have fought many elections, but never did caste politics. I have not given gas cylinders, houses in the name of caste. I want to work for the country. I ask your vote for the country," the Prime Minister said today.
Earlier this week, Mayawati accused PM Modi of "dramebaazi (playacting) with his love for Dalits".
"Prime Minister Modi is using his caste and poor economic background to lure voters," she had said.
With just one round of polling remaining, the political narrative has shifted to personal attacks. While PM Modi called former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi "corrupt number 1", in response, Congress's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra compared the PM to mythological villain Duryodhan.
Today, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, in an article, justified the"Neech" slur he had used for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for which he was suspended by his party two years ago.
With inputs from ANI
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