Ahead of the end of campaign for the fourth phase of general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi trained his guns on the Mahagathbandhan in for lacking vision on fighting terrorism and thanked them for informing people of his caste in their campaign rhetoric.
PM Modi said that the 'Mahamilawati'(adulterated) alliance of Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal are engaged in opportunistic politics and their mantra is 'jaat, paat japna; janata ka maal apna'.
"Mayawatiji, I am most backward...I request with folded hands not to drag me in the caste politics, 130 crore people are my family." He said he is thankful to Mayawati, Akhilesh, and the Congress for discussing his caste. He was addressing a rally in Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh.
"I believe that taking birth in a backward caste is an opportunity to serve the country," Modi added.
During a recent rally of Mayawati and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, the BSP chief had attacked Modi and called him a "farzi leader of the backward castes".
Modi wound up campaigning for the fourth phase in Uttar Pradesh with rallies in Hardoi, Sitapur and Kannauj. In this round, voting is scheduled on April 29 in 71 seats across UP, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha.
Modi went on to ridicule the Mahagathbandhan leaders for harbouring dreams of becoming the Prime Minister and mocked the BSP's support for SP. "Behenji is happily seeking votes for the same SP which had disrespected Babasaheb and was embracing them just to defeat Modi...apmaan bhi kursi ke nichey chipaa detey hain aur kursi sey chipak jatey hain," Modi remarked.
In UP, voting is scheduled in 13 seats spanning Terai, Bundelkhand and Central UP, Kanpur, Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, Mishrikh, Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah, Kannauj, Akbarpur, Jalaun, Jhansi and Hamirpur are the constituencies going to polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party had won 12 of these seats and Dimple Yadav was the only one to emerge victorious in this belt during the Modi wave of 2014.
PM Modi also targeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi over its stance on terrorism. Modi claimed that Congress was going to do away with the special rights provided to soldiers. Modi was alluding to the Congress's promises to amend the Armed Forces Special Powers Act suitably to balance it with human rights priorities.
"The 'naamdaar' [Rahul Gandhi] of the Congress party cannot fight terrorism. The party talks of reducing forces in Jammu and Kashmir, and doing away with the special rights provided to our soldiers," he said.
—With agency inputs
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Narendra Modi")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}