Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday described the Congress party as a “laughing club” for promising to act tough on corruption at a time when one of its chief ministers is facing graft charges.
“Congress party has become a laughing club. The CM has a corruption case against him. He is out on a bail. And then, they come out with a manifesto saying there will be zero tolerance on corruption,” PM Modi said.
He made the remarks while addressing a public rally in Kangra district’s Rehan. BJP’s chief ministerial face Prem Kumar Dhumal was also present at the rally.
Modi said the Congress needs to introspect why a forgiving country like India is out to punish its leaders by turning away from them one by one.
He denounced the Congress party for its corrupt policies and said: “This is not a Congress of Mahatma Gandhi or of freedom fighters but of corruption, dynasty politics and casteism.”
The prime minister also highlighted the “five monsters” ailing the state and spoke about the need to get rid of them.
“There are five monsters in Himachal Pradesh which we need to get rid off – mining mafia, forest mafia, drug mafia, tender mafia and transfer mafia,” PM Modi said.
On the Doklam issue and the subsequent resolving of the crisis, PM Modi said: “During Doklam row, people said that Modi ji must not forget 1962,” he said.
“Isn’t it insulting when these people held talks with Chinese leaders on Doklam instead of asking the elected government?”, he said while launching a veiled attack on the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for his meeting with the Chinese Ambassador.
The prime minister also lambasted the ruling party in the state and opined that there is no further scope for indulging in corruption as the people have made their mind to elect the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh.
On the sensitive Kashmir issue, he came down heavily upon the single largest opposition party. He said that while our soldiers are sacrificing their lives, the Congress is busy in conducting debates on the Kashmir conflict.
PM Modi will also address a rally at Dhaula Kuan in the Paonta Sahib constituency of Sirmaur district at 1.30 pm.
The BJP has been targetting the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh over the disproportionate assets case against its incumbent Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. On Wednesday, BJP national president Amit Shah addressed election rallies at Thunag in Seraj constituency in Mandi district and Hamirpur. Home Minister Rajnath Singh has also used the development pitch, asking the people of Himachal to denounce Congress’s ‘jamanati sarkar‘.
