"For Country's Oldest Party, Lord Ram Was...": PM Modi Jabs Congress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lashed out at the Congress for what he called practising the policy of "divide and rule" to stay in power and creating new records in corruption, and accused the opposition party of standing with foreign elements who openly conspire against India.

He said for the country's oldest political party, Lord Ram was an "imaginary" character.

"The Congress has always created problems for the country and has no solution for them. It governed the nation by adopting the policy of divide and rule," PM Modi stated while addressing a rally in support of the BJP in Neemuch district of the Malwa-Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh, where assembly polls will be held on November 17.

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, the BJP's star campaigner pointed out that the Father of the Nation used to emphasise that governance should involve honesty and ethics, and envisaged "Ram Rajya" (ideal rule) in the country.

"But on one hand the Congress has built a fort of corruption and on the other hand it has declared Lord Ram as an imaginary character," he said.

The Grand Old Party has always created new records in corruption while in power at the Centre or in states, PM Modi alleged.

The PM asserted that India's stature is rising in the comity of nations, but the Congress is not comfortable with this global ascendancy.

"This (global ascendancy) is happening because of you who formed the BJP government which takes tough and big decisions. This is what the Congress has not been able to digest for the last 10 years," PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister said the Congress, which he said abuses him day and night, is wondering how the country's profile is changing on the international stage.

"This (India's rising power in the world) is what is bothering the Congress. Therefore, the Congress wants to spread instability and anarchy in the country. For this, the Congress has made secret agreements. The Congress now seems to be standing with foreigners who openly conspire against India. The people of Madhya Pradesh have to be very cautious of the Congress," he said.

PM Modi maintained the Grand Old Party has no solutions to the country's problems.

"Because of the Congress, the country's problems have become more serious, especially the loot of the poor. One of its Prime Ministers once admitted that out of Re 1 sent from the Centre, only 15 paise reached the beneficiary," said the BJP's star campaigner.

"But who was looting this 85 paise? It was panja (hand)," he remarked, apparently referring to the Congress poll symbol 'hand.' PM Modi was apparently making a reference to then-PM Rajiv Gandhi's remark made in the 1980s that only 15 paise of every Re 1 released by the Centre reached the end beneficiary.

However, the BJP has found a solution to plug leakages in welfare schemes by creating a trinity of 'Mobile, Aadhaar and bank accounts' (Jan Dhan), he said.

The Centre has transferred Rs 2.60 lakh crore under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme directly into the bank accounts of beneficiaries, bypassing middlemen, stated Modi.

During the Congress regime, only 6,000 houses were sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (urban), while the BJP's 'double-engine' government (saffron party in power at the Centre and in a state) approved the construction of 10 lakh homes in Madhya Pradesh, he said.

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