PM Modi urged people of Madhya Pradesh to punish the Congress for the ill-treatment meted out to the state by the UPA.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the UPA treated people of BJP-ruled states as enemies and it was now time to punish the Congress for the ill-treatment meted out to the state by its government.
"Congress never ever thought about the welfare of Madhya Pradesh. Only if they would have thought, when they were in power for such a long time at Centre, they would have added to the state's progress. Sadly, they only believe in vote-bank politics," Modi said at a mega congregation of BJP workers at an event ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.
"For 10 years, Congress has played with your rights. It is now time to punish them for the first time," he added.
The prime minister added, "Vote bank politics has destroyed our country like termites. It is the BJP's duty to save the country from the destruction in 70 years of independence."
The event, 'Karyakarta Mahakumbh' (grand assembly of party workers), being held at Jambooree Maidan in the BHEL locality, was also addressed by BJP president Amit Shah.
Attacking the Congress party for "abusing" him, Modi said, "Congress has invested its energy in abusing me. They have not left any abuse found in the dictionary. Ask your advisor, as much mud you throw, lotus will blossom."
"Congress party has not succeeded in forming a coalition in India so it is now looking for allies outside India. The Congress party has also lost its balance after losing power. The Congress party has now become a burden on the country," he further said.
An estimated 10 lakh party workers from 65,000 polling booths spread across 230 assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh will take part in the programme, Rajnish Agrawal, a state BJP spokesman, said before the event.
The event is being held on the occasion of birth anniversary of Hindutva icon and Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) co-founder Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. It will be the "world's largest congregation of political workers," another state BJP spokesman Sarvesh Tiwari said.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, party organisational general secretary Ramlal and central and state ministers and other senior leaders also attended the congregation.
An exhibition hall named after BJP leader and former union minister late Anil Madhav Dave has also been set up at the rally site.
The exhibition venue will showcase the journey and works of BJP stalwarts, including former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister Modi and Chouhan.
In the exhibition, BJP and BJS stalwarts - Upadhyaya, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Vajpayee, Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia and Kushabhau Thakre - have been depicted as the five strong pillars of the BJP, Agrawal said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), established in 1980, is the successor party of the BJS.
Along with Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram will also go to polls by the year-end.
Modi and Shah, two star poll campaigners of the BJP, are in Bhopal days after Congress chief Rahul Gandhi visited the state capital.
Gandhi held a roadshow and later addressed Congress workers and office-bearers during his September 17 visit.
Both the national parties are in poll campaign mode in the state, where the BJP is in power since 2003.
While the saffron outfit will seek a fourth straight term in office in the year-end elections, the Congress will look to wrest power from the BJP in a state which was once its stronghold.
(With PTI inputs)
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 "PM Modi at BJP workers rally in Bhopal")
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